New Challenges Volume 6: Trials
by Kaiphantom
Summary: The Nerima crew is seperated, as each is faced with their own problems and tribulations. Also, a powerful force attacks someone close to the Kunos, but without Ranma, Akane, or the Amazons, how will the rest of Nerima combat it?
1. Chapter 1

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
DISCLAIMER:   
These characters ain't my characters,  
these characters ain't your characters,  
from Akane and Ranma, to Mousse and Shampoo.  
from Ukyo and Ryoga, to Tatewaki Kuno,  
These characters don't belong to you or me!  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
We humans tend to do a lot to ourselves in the name of self-improvement.  
We go to school to learn, we exercise to stay fit and healthy, and we  
even attend seminars in the hopes they will improve our lifestyle.  
  
Some of these contain many hardships that we willingly endure. Why?  
Because hope they will make us better in some way. There is a saying  
that embodies this philosophy, "That which does not kill me, will make  
me stronger."  
  
Not all of these "trials" are self-afflicted. Difficult events tend to  
enter our life without our consent, and because of the harshness we feel  
we didn't deserve, we tend to ask the heavens "Why me?"  
  
We think they may change our life for the worse, but we hope that we do  
become a better person afterward. Hence, the reason for the above  
saying.  
  
The trials to come for the martial artists of Nerima will not be easy.  
How they deal with them will hopefully make some of them stronger.  
  
Some of them will pass... and some will fail.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 1  
  
  
  
  
  
Akane sat in her bedroom, gazing out her window. It had just  
begun to get dark outside, but what she was really admiring was the  
snow. Even now, the frozen water flakes were continuing to drop in  
larger numbers, and the ground outside had gathered a healthy amount of  
the white stuff. She found herself wanting to go out and play like a 6-  
year-old, throwing snowballs and building snowmen.  
  
She smiled to herself as she realized there would be plenty of  
time for that later. She absently fingered the carefully-wrapped package  
in her hands and tried to imagine the look on her fiance's face when she  
gave it to him. She hoped he would like it. No, she KNEW he would like  
it.  
  
He had better like it, anyway. She spent enough time on it.  
  
She could hear the idle chatter drift up from down below where  
the rest of the family was putting the finishing touches on the  
decorations. In just an hour or so, the guests would begin arriving for  
the Christmas party. Mainly it was going to be the gang at Ucchan's,  
though Ms. Hinako was coming too after being invited by Soun. She had  
weepingly told him how she had no family to spend Christmas with, so he  
had told her she could spend the holidays with them.  
  
Akane still didn't know how she felt about that. While she  
didn't really relish the idea of the chi-draining teacher as a mother,  
the fact remained that her father seemed to enjoy her company, and  
indeed, her presence tended to make him less apt to break into tears.  
  
She heard a soft knocking at the door and bid the person to  
enter. The door opened, then closed, and she could hear a soft padding  
of footsteps approach her her in the darkened room.  
  
"Hey Ranma," she greeted without turning around.  
  
Ranma came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"Howdja know it was me?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Don't really know," she replied. "I just know when you're  
around. Does that sound strange?" She reached up and placed a hand on  
top of his from where is was laying on her shoulder.  
  
He shook his head. "Naw. Truth be told, I've been feelin' the  
same way. It's kinda how I knew you were in here even though the lights  
were off. Speaking of which, what are ya doin' in here with the lights  
off?"  
  
"Felt I could use a break from the action downstairs," she  
answered. "So I came up here to watch the snow fall." She could just see  
his reflection in the window. "Beautiful..."  
  
Ranma looked down at Akane and whispered. "Yeah..."  
  
She looked up at him for the first time and smiled. "So you  
couldn't let me out of your sight for long, hmm?"  
  
"Just wanted to make sure you didn't kidnapped or somethin',  
that's all."  
  
"Don't worry, I don't think anybody could kidnap me now," she  
replied, amused. "I hope those days are far behind us." She leaned back  
into him and pulled his arms around her waist.  
  
"Me, too."  
  
Her gaze turned serious. "Has there been any word about Shampoo  
or Mousse?"  
  
Ranma sighed. "Nope. Ever since they took off a coupla months  
ago. LinLin and RanRan gave up waitin' for them to return and left for  
China to get help."  
  
"And Nabiki's running the Nekohanten, again," Akane finished.  
"Why is it we get to be happy when so many other's aren't? Not  
mentioning the whole Shampoo and Mousse thing, but Kuno's sister is an  
asylum, he and Nabiki have broken up, we haven't heard anything from  
poor Akari and Ryoga, and Selah has no clue on what happened to her  
mother."   
  
"True, but she seems kinda happy livin' at Ucchan's," Ranma  
countered. "In fact, the whole gang there seems ta share that attitude.  
As for everybody else," he shrugged, "there ain't nothin' we can do for  
`em."  
  
She sighed. "I suppose you're right." She twisted in his grip  
so that she was facing him, then stepped up on her tiptoes to kiss him.  
"Come on, we should go back down and help out."  
  
She grabbed his hand and proceeded to lead him out. Ranma  
followed without resistance, a happy grin on his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Pray tell what glorious thoughts grace thy wonderful wit this  
night?"  
  
Nabiki sighed, not happily, but didn't turn around. "Kuno-baby.  
I thought you'd be enjoying the party?"  
  
The kendoist strode from his position at the door and walked up  
beside the middle Tendo sister, who was leaning on the railing and  
watching the night sky. "Nabiki-kun, can we not talk about this?"  
  
"What's to talk about?" She turned and smiled at him.  
  
Her reaction caught him off-guard. "About us..."  
  
She waggled her finger at him. "Let's just get one thing  
straight, there is no more `us'. I do some work for you and you pay me,  
and that's it." She turned back to watching the night sky. "It was fun  
for awhile, let's just leave it at that."  
  
"But, Nabiki-kun..." Kuno was flabbergasted. What could he say?  
The few months that he dated with her, were some of the best of his  
life.   
He looked down.   
  
Tatewaki Kuno straightened. "Very well, Tendo Nabiki. I will  
respect our business arrangement. I shall see thee at the party." Then  
he turned around and left.  
  
Nabiki heard his footsteps retreat and sighed again. She smirked. A strange feeling  
passed through her.   
  
She turned around and observed the kendoist nursing a glass of  
eggnog from the corner of the room. Another feeling threatened to pass  
through through her, but she forced it down while turning away.  
  
She was determined to not let him get to her.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"He really did that!?" Ukyo asked, disbelievingly.  
  
Yuri fended off her brother's attempts to cover her mouth and  
flipped him into the wall. "Yep, I was there." She spared a glance at  
her upside-down, against-the-wall, on-his-head, brother. "Poor `niichan  
was just trying to protect his little sister from the big, bad bullies."  
  
Those gathered around her to hear the story, continued to  
laugh.  
  
"It's not funny!" Kenji protested, not bothering to move from  
where he sat on his head. "I was just trying to help. I was only 5 and I  
was outnumbered 8 to 1!"  
  
Selah kneeled down next to him and patted his cheek. "Poor  
Kenji-chan."  
  
"And not only did he end up getting beat up," Ukyo managed  
through the giggles. "They stole his clothes, too!?"  
  
"And then he streaked home?" Akane asked, trying to contain her  
laughter and failing.  
  
Yuri nodded, still giggling. "It was a poor village."  
  
"I hope the experience wasn't too unsettling, Kenji-sama,"  
Konatsu sympathized.  
  
Kenji closed his eyes and half-smiled. "Heh, you may think  
that's funny, but you haven't heard about the time Yuri tried to belly  
dance at..."  
  
"No you don't!" Yuri screamed as she launched herself at her  
brother.  
  
She collided with him and the siblings grappled as they rolled  
along on the floor. Occaisonal shrieks indicated a successful tickle  
attack. Ranma and Akane glanced at each other.  
  
Ukyo sighed and stood up. "Allow me."  
  
*CLANG!* *CLANG!*  
  
"What'd you do that for!?" the Soyokaze's protested in unison,  
nursing twin bumps.  
  
"You were making jackasses of yourselves," Ukyo explained as she  
reholstered her battle spatula.  
  
Kenji and Yuri shot a double rasberry the chef's way.  
  
"I, for one, am truly thankful for your hospitality," Natsume  
said after a quiet moment.  
  
"Yeah," Kurumi added. "I really like Christmas. I've never had  
one before."  
  
"Really?" Akane asked.  
  
The two newest Tendos nodded, while the older one spoke up.  
"Kurumi speaks the truth. We've been traveling and training most of our  
life."  
  
"That's too bad, but I guess I can kinda understand," Ranma  
said. "It was the same way with me and pops."  
  
Kasumi chose that moment to enter with more glasses of eggnog.  
Soun, Hinako, Genma, and Nodoka joined the teenagers near the Christmas  
tree. Nabiki came back in and Kuno moved over as well as everyone picked  
up a glass of eggnog.  
  
"I propose a toast," Soun said, lifting his glass. "May we all  
find happiness in this holiday season, and in the new year."  
  
The sentiment was echoed around the room, then fifteen glasses  
of eggnog were consumed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Feral Shampoo woke up, alert, but she could sense nothing  
hostile around her. She yawned and slowly stretched her furry limbs. A  
look of sadness passed her face, as she beheld her furred and clawed  
hands.  
  
she thought sadly. It was still  
hard to think in this form, but she was getting better at it. In fact,  
it was this increased intelligence that helped her when she snuck aboard  
a freighter headed for China, her instincts telling her to head west.  
  
She stood up and sniffed the air, searching for breakfast. That  
was one thing that had changed slightly when the bake-neko had left her,  
she had developed a taste for raw meat. Being an Amazon, she had always  
been a keen hunter and she had frequently eaten the animals she had  
killed in a hunt. But never usually raw.  
  
Detecting some sort of bird nearby, she dropped to all fours  
and began to stalk. Her senses told her it was sleeping in a nearby  
ticket of bushes, but she was confident she would be able to take it  
before it could get away. Batting aside the bushes, she pounced on her  
prey.  
  
The white duck in the bushes woke up just in time to see  
Shampoo attack.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"The world is a dark and lonely place..."  
  
Ryoga trudged down the dirt road, not caring where he was  
going. As far as he was concerned, life was just not worth living.  
  
  
He had been traveling for a month now, looking for her, but  
with no luck. By pure chance, he had managed to find Akari's farmhouse a  
week after her fight, but her grandfather said he hadn't seen her. And  
so, he departed from there, more depressed then ever.  
  
"My life must be some cosmic joke," he muttered to himself as he  
trudged along. "Everytime it looks like happiness is within my grasp,  
the cruel hande of fate snatches it away. Akane hates me. Akari's gone.  
Can't beat Ranma..."  
  
Just then, his dragging feet caught on a tree root sticking  
partially out of the dirt road, tripping him up and sending face first  
into the ground.  
  
"What else can go wrong?" he mumbled  
  
The storm clouds chose that moment to gather as a light rain  
began to fall.  
  
  
  
  
  
Bob shrugged. "Well, you asked..."  
  
  
  
  
  
P-chan didn't even bother to get up as the rain fell all around  
him, turning the dirt road into mud. Ten minutes later, the rain stopped and the sun came back out.  
Ryoga sighed, long past caring what happened to him  
anymore.  
  
That's why he didn't move when the nose sniffed him.  
  
"Woof!"  
  
"What'd you find, boy?" came an old voice. Ryoga's ears detected  
a shuffling of feet, then a hand grasped his bandanna and lifted him up,  
while another hand felt him over. "Why, it feels like a little piggy!  
And he was just lying in the road, how about that?"  
  
"Woof!"  
  
"What's that? There's some clothing and a backpack on the road,  
too?"  
  
"Woof!"  
  
"Well, this is our lucky day, boy! Just let me gather all this  
stuff up and then we can get back to the cabin!"  
  
"Woof!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Has the new user been located?"  
  
A voice from the other side of the table spoke up. "Yes." The  
darkened room obscured the faces from view, but all seven members seated  
around the table knew who was speaking. "The ki trail radiates from  
Nerima, Japan. Following this, I have determined who our target is."  
  
He reached under the table and brought out several manilla  
folders which he passed around. For the next minute, the six other  
members studied the profile.  
"Wait a minute, `Level 10 threat'?" another voice spoke up. "Are  
you sure about this, Daimonji?"  
  
The man known as Daimonji nodded. "Read it for yourself. Ki  
projection is five times stronger than normal, and she isn't even at  
full power yet. We still have a chance to contain it if we act now."  
  
"She hardly looks dangerous to me," yet another voice commented.  
"And she's so young and cute, too."  
  
"Need I remind you, Takao, of the oath we all took?" Daimonji  
countered. "You know why we do what we do. You know the price, should we  
fail."  
  
A bigger man put his folder down. "I know all I need to. I can  
take her myself."  
  
"So you think girls are easy prey, Kujo?" another member asked  
with a female voice. "Don't get cocky."  
  
From the head of the table, a new voice spoke, though his  
seemed older than the others. "It is agreed then. We shall set course  
for Nerima."  
  
The last member continued to study the profile, her thoughts  
deeply troubled.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Ucchan gang dragged their tired but happy selves through  
the restaurant doors. It was nearing 10pm, and their only concern was  
getting to bed.  
  
Passing the answering machine, Ukyo noted the light was on,  
signaling that someone had left a message. She hit the replay button  
while everyone else trudged upstairs.  
  
As it played, Ukyo's eyes grew wider in disbelief.  
  
  
  
  
The tape the message was on clicked as it finished it's  
recording, but Ukyo hadn't bothered to move. It was a short message, but  
it's intent was clear and she knew what she had to do. But how exactly  
was she supposed to respond to it?  
  
"Ukyo-chan?" Yuri's voice brought the melancholy chef back to  
the present. The female ninja trainee was standing at the bottom of the  
stairs, looking at her friend. "What's wrong?"  
  
The okonomiyaki chef looked up and smiled wanely. "Who said  
something was wrong?"  
  
Yuri spanned the distance between the two and crossed her arms  
over her chest, shrugging her blond ponytail off her shoulder. "In the  
short time I've come to know you, I've learned to tell when something is  
bothering you."  
  
Ukyo sighed as her gaze dropped. "I... just received a message  
from my uncle Yoshiro. I have to leave tomorrow."  
  
"Where?" Yuri asked, taking a seat next to her. "Why?"  
  
"Kansai," Ukyo replied.  
  
"Isn't that...?"  
  
"Where I'm from?" Ukyo finished, nodding. "I have to go home. My  
father is... not well. As the Kuonji clan head, he's requested my  
presence."  
  
Yuri gasped and put her hand on Ukyo's shoulder to comfort her.  
"Oh, Ukyo-chan, I'm so sorry! Is there anything I can do?"  
  
The troubled chef shook her head. "No."  
  
"We could go with you," came Kenji's voice from the doorway,  
startling the two women. Konatsu was with him. Kenji then blushed mildly  
and scratched the back of his head. "That is, uh, if you want..."  
  
"I'm afraid that's not possible."  
  
"Sensei!" Yuri exclaimed, as Satsu materialized out of a nearby  
shadow. "Why not?"  
  
Satsu gave his students a nod, then continued. "You two have  
been summoned; the clan requires your presence. In two nights, you shall  
accompany me as we travel north to the clan grounds."  
  
"What's this all about?" Kenji asked.  
  
The old ninja merely shook his head. "I cannot tell you, though  
you will find out once we get there." His gaze turned to Konatsu. "The  
elder has also requested your presence, young man."  
  
Konatsu looked surprised and pointed to himself. "Me?"  
  
"Yes. It is our understanding you do not belong to any clan, and  
Garou recognizes your abilities. Will you come with us?"  
  
The kunoichi blinked as the realization of what the old man was  
saying sunk in. He was actually offering Konatsu a chance to be included  
in a clan. When he had left his three step-sisters, he had effectively  
left that clan to be with Ukyo. It hadn't been an easy decision, but he  
was glad he made it. After all, his three step-sisters had been his  
family and had taken care of him.  
  
He glanced towards the chef he had originally become infatuated  
with.  
  
"It's your decision, sugar," she told him, putting a hand on his  
shoulder. "You have to do what you decide is right for you."  
  
He then directed his gaze over at the new woman in his life,  
Yuri, who gave him a warm smile, causing him to blush in a feminine  
manner. What was he to do? I wanted to stay with Ukyo, hoping she would  
come to love me, but now I don't know anymore. She was so nice to me,  
but Yuri seems to really like me. He looked down at his hands.   
  
His face came up and he directed it at Satsu, before bending at  
the waist to bow low before him. "I would be honored if you would accept  
this lowly student, honorable sensei."  
  
Satsu chuckled. "Well, first of all, stand up. While my ego  
appreciates the gesture, there's no need to bow." He turned slightly to  
address all of them. "Then I shall leave you now and return in two days.  
Be ready." There was a bright flash and a puff of smoke, then he was  
gone.  
  
Kenji collapsed into a chair. "Well that was interesting."  
  
"I guess we won't be able to go with you after all, Ukyo-chan,"  
Yuri said apologetically. "Will you be alright?"  
  
Ukyo nodded, then smiled wanely. "I-yes. I need to go home. In  
fact, it's something I should have done a long time ago."  
  
She looked away at something only she could see. "There's a lot  
I need to discuss with my father." 


	2. Chapter 2

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
  
  
"This is all your fault, Saotome," came the growling voice.  
  
Tenma blinked awake. "Ryo? Is that you?"  
  
"Of course it's me! Who did you think it was!?"  
  
The young Saotome rose to sitting position to gauge his  
surroundings. Ryo and him were sitting in two iron box cages, sitting on  
a pair of horse-draw carts. He almost laughed aloud, knowing both he and  
Ryo could break those iron bars. However, he kept the humor to himself  
at the sight of approximately a hundred armored men that stood around  
the duo. They lounged in various states of alertness, talking, laughing,  
drinking and practicing with weapons.  
  
Tenma knew he was good, but the chances of getting away  
successfully right now weren't good. Plus, he wanted to know what  
happened to Kae and why she turned on them. Maybe he could also find out  
some enemy plans, then he and Ryo could escape when a better opportunity  
presented itself.  
  
"Oh," Ryo continued. "Don't think about trying to break the  
bars. You can't, I tried."  
  
Tenma gave his old training partner a glance of disbelief.  
"Maybe you can't, but I know I can." To prove the point, he reached up  
and grabbed a pair of parallel bars and pulled.  
  
And pulled.  
  
And pulled.  
  
A confused Tenma released his grip and stared at his hands.  
"What...?"  
  
Ryo sneered. "Told ya. Our strength is gone, somehow." He  
turned his back to his rival. "I should've known better than to go with  
you."  
  
"Oh shut up."  
  
"It's about time," came a new voice. "The vermin have finally  
achieved conciousness." The boys turned to see General Genshi approach,  
still wearing his midnight black samurai armor and cape. His short,  
black hair was slicked back into a short topknot in the same style that  
many of the general's men also wore. As he approached, Tenma was struck  
and taken aback by the aura of death the man radiated, and he  
unconsciously shivered.  
  
"Go stick your head in a fox hole," Ryo growled, baring his  
fangs.  
  
Genshi's visage darkened. "Be thankful I don't kill you right  
now, vermin."  
  
"Yes, that's a good question," Tenma realized suddenly. "Why  
don't you kill us now?"  
  
The general tweaked his short, black moustache. "Because I have  
orders to bring you back alive," he replied simply. Then he reached  
around behind his back and withdrew a small pair of scythe, scraping the  
metal blades against each other. "But I also have the authority to  
execute you right now if you become too much trouble. Keep quiet, and  
you keep your heads." He replaced the pair of curved blades and walked  
away.  
  
"Were's Kae?!" Tenma called. But Genshi didn't bother to  
respond.  
  
"Like I said, this all your fault, Saotome."  
  
"Shut up, bacon-breath."  
  
  
  
  
  
Akara tried to maintain her anger, but it soon turned to  
frustration and despair. Around her, various maids moved in silence,  
preparing her a marriage ceremony she didn't want. They had already  
draped a white kimono around her, and were making the neccessary  
adjustments to it so it would fit her properly.  
  
She hadn't been able to talk to her father or sisters yet,  
since she was hauled away shortly after her entrance into the throne  
room. She wanted to demand an explanation from her father. These people  
were supposed to be their allies! Why didn't he do anything to stop this  
travesty?  
  
She sighed.   
  
The latter chose that moment to enter the room, resplendid in  
his regal blue robes and haughty grin. "How is my beautacious bride-to-  
be?"  
  
The fires of her anger, having dimmed to a smolder, flared back  
to life at the presence of her unwanted groom. "What do you want,  
Kuno!?" The three maids alterating her kimono backed away with the  
outburst.  
  
"Ah, methinks I chose well," Tateyama replied, unfazed. "She is  
quite the fierce tigress. I shall enjoy our honeymoon, greatly."  
  
Akara blinked in shock. "Like  
hell!"  
  
The Kuno family heir crossed the space that seperated them in  
three long steps, his face inches from hers. "Never fear, thou shalt  
come to love me, as our union was foretold in the heavens."  
  
Akara's return gaze promised something far worse than death.  
"You will _never_ have me." A sudden thought struck her. "Besides, I'm  
already engaged to someone else!"  
  
However, his smile only grew. "Oh fair Tendo Akara, how can you  
say such things when you know, deep in your heart, that we were meant to  
be?"  
  
*POW!* Akara's anger found it's release and Tateyama Kuno's body  
found the wall.  
  
"Yes," Tateyama chuckled crazily from the wall. "She is quite  
the fierce tigress..."  
  
*Thump* Kuno managed to find the floor, but quickly regained his  
feet, his wits, and (most important to him anyways) his dignity.  
"Nevertheless, thou shall be my wife by sunset tomorrow!" He turned his  
back to her. "And I think I should let you know, we've received a  
message that your Tenma and his friend were captured by the Dark  
Shogun's army, and I am afraid they aren't known for keeping prisoners."  
  
And with that, Tateyama Kuno turned and strode regally from the  
room.  
  
Akara's anger dissipated in a large, anguished sigh when the  
royal heir left, only to be replaced by shock and fear.   
She was unable to to wrap her mind around the concept. That the man who  
could be so infuriating one moment, and so caring the next, was gone for  
good.  
  
Her legs suddenly feeling weak, she collapsed on the big  
cushion behind her and turned her gaze out the window where the sun was  
just setting behind the far hills.  
  
"You just can't be dead, Tenma!" she whispered worridly. "You  
can't be! Where are you?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Here."  
  
The worn leather bag made several clinking sounds as it hit the  
table. Kae glanced once at the bag, then turned a venomous gaze to the  
man who had dropped it so casually.  
  
"Do not insult me." Almost too fast for the eye to see, the  
ninja woman flung a single shuriken that pierced the bag, splitting it,  
and spilling the gold coins over the table.  
  
General Genshi eyed the shuriken embedded in the table. "I had  
no intention of doing so."  
  
Kae's eyes narrowed. "You know my price."  
  
"Indeed I do." He gestured to the other chair on the opposite  
side of the table. "Have a seat." The ninja woman eyed the chair with  
caution, but did sit down simultaneously with the general. "In fact,  
the Shogun personally told me of the bargain you struck. Very  
interesting." Genshi leaned forward in his chair. "I should tell you, I  
advised the Shogun against it."  
  
The general's probing gaze was met by a cold look, shielding  
Kae's internal thoughts from Genshi's study. "It appears you were  
overruled."  
  
Genshi nodded once, slowly, and abandoned his intense scrying  
to lean back in his chair. "But I figured you could use a little extra  
spending money. After all, you aren't making any on this deal."  
  
"What I do, is none of your business," she told him tersly. "So,  
what do you plan to do with the two boys?"  
  
The General shrugged. "I'll kill them, of course. The Shogun  
wanted Saotome alive, but I have permission to do whatever it takes to  
prevent him from escaping." He stood, turning his back on Kae and taking  
a few steps to the window. "And when I find the Tendo's resistance, I  
shall kill them all as well."  
  
"Is that all you want to do?" Kae asked, her gaze turning into  
disapproval. "To kill everyone and everything?"  
  
Genshi turned and favored her with a rare smile that sent  
shivers down her spine, though she managed to hide it. "Everyone needs a  
hobby."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ryo, wake up!"  
  
However, the command fell on deaf ears as the lost boy  
continued to slumber in the cubical cage next to his own, completely  
oblivious to Tenma's whispered call.  
  
"Ryo!" A snore was his only answer. "Stupid."  
  
He dared not call any louder, for fear of waking up the guard  
that was sleeping nearby. The caravan had stopped for the night, and by  
Tenma's reckoning, they were headed due northwest.  
  
Sighing in frustration, he cast about, looking for an solution.  
Grinning as an idea came to him, he reached down and picked up a handful  
of stones, then proceeded to pelt his companion prisoner with them.  
  
The first couple of stones only mildly disturbed Ryo, but as  
the barrage continued, he slowly stirred, then jerked upright. "What--?"  
  
"Good mornin', sunshine," offered a pleased Tenma.  
  
"Saotome..!" Ryo growled. "Why I oughta--"  
  
"Shut up, pig-boy!" hushed Tenma. "Or you'll wake the guard!"  
  
Ryo merely `hmphed'. "So why'd you wake me? I was having a  
pleasant dream where Akara was about to kiss me..." His star-crossed  
look made Tenma gag.  
  
"Cut it out, man! You're makin' me sick!" Tenma shook his head.  
"Anyways, I was figurin' on makin' a break for it and thought you'd  
wanna come along." Tenma sat back and put his hands behind his head.  
"But, maybe you'd be happier stayin' in a cage and dreamin' of that  
tomboy."  
  
"Tenma!" Ryo exhaled. "Fine. What'd you have in mind? Without  
our strength, we can't break the bars."  
  
Tenma pointed to the sleeping guard, and to the key ring  
sitting beside him on the table. "There's more than one way to get out  
of a cage. We just need those keys."  
  
"And how do you propose we get those keys?" Ryo asked.  
"Considering they're over there and we're over here?"  
  
Tenma grinned and held up a string. "Don't you remember the  
times Satsu-sensei took us fishing? Took almost all day to get a long  
enough string out of my shirt." He glanced in despair at the ruined  
bottom of his shirt. "And I fashioned this hook from a loose piece of  
metal."  
  
"Well aren't you mister smarty-pants," Ryo said sarcastically.  
  
Tenma merely grinned and started twirling the mock fishing  
line, concentrating on the set of keys ten feet away. Sensing the  
moment, he let the hook fly.  
  
"Bingo!" Tenma elated. "First try!"  
  
"Must you succeed at everything you do," Ryo mumbled, not loud  
enough for his old training partner to hear.  
  
Tenma was too elated to pay attention to Ryo anyway as he  
slowly reeled in his catch. Halfway to the cage however, the ring of  
keys snagged on something and the hook lost it's grip. He tried casting  
the line again, but it took four more attempts before the ring unsnagged  
and completed it's trip into Tenma's waiting hand.  
  
Two quick clicks later, and both boys were free.  
  
"Where to now?" Ryo asked, glancing around the camp. Voices  
could be heard in various directions, and several campfires cast a quiet  
glow into the night sky.  
  
Tenma motioned with his hand, and whispered back, "This way."  
  
The two escapees silently made their way between the tents,  
sticking to the darkness and taking cover when soldiers passed by. In a  
nearby tent, they managed to find their packs, but the escape alarm was  
sounded before they could put them back on.  
  
Realizing that his pack was now too heavy for him, Tenma gave  
up, but Ryo insisted on taking his umbrella at the very least.  
  
"Got any more bright ideas, Saotome?" Ryo challenged. "We can't  
fight our way out without our strength."  
  
"Remember what sensei said," replied Tenma, then went into a  
wise man stance. "When strength avails you naught, one must rely on  
speed and cunning."  
  
"And just what does that mean!?"  
  
Tenma grinned. "Simple. We make a run for the horses! If I  
remember correctly, they're on the north side of camp."  
  
Ryo nodded, knowing it was their only chance. "Alright, but you  
better not die on me before we escape. I want that pleasure."  
  
"Sure thing, pig-boy."  
  
"Stop calling me that!"  
  
But Tenma wasn't listening. "Ready? Go!"  
  
"Tenma!"  
  
Ryo charged after the sprinting Saotome as they left the  
confines of the tent and across the camp. Soldiers were running in all  
directions around them, but it was only a few seconds until someone  
caught on to them and shouted.  
  
"Hey! There they are!"  
  
"Get them!"  
  
"They're over here!"  
  
The two boys were soon fending off various attackers that  
sought to stop them. Tenma resisted the urge to counterattack, knowing  
his punches wouldn't even faze his enemies. Instead, he dodged and  
flipped and sent his attackers into each other. Ryo opted for the more  
direct approach by bulldozing his way through, his tough hide absorbing  
most blows easily. The more lethal stuff, like swords and arrows, he  
fended off with his umbrella.  
  
Despairingly, Tenma realized that if things continued the way  
they were, they would be enveloped by soldiers before they could reach  
the horses. He just wasn't able to disable enough of his would-be  
captors and he was beginning to take too many hits.  
  
Suddenly, he was next to Ryo, and they were both standing still  
in the middle of a clearing, the Dark Shogun's army surrounding them.  
With another burst of despair, Tenma realized the horses were just on  
the other side of the line of soldiers, ten meters away. They had almost  
made it.  
  
"Are you ready to die, vermin?" Genshi's voice rang out in the  
sudden silence. The circle of soldiers parted to allow the General  
forward. This time though, the General was holding a single larger  
scythe. "The shogun may want you alive, but I do not. As long as you  
live, you may be a threat. I'm sure my master will understand if I  
explain that I had no choice but to kill you while you escaped."  
  
Tenma's eyes narrowed. "You let us escape on purpose."  
  
"Did you really think you could escape otherwise?" Genshi asked.  
  
His question was met with only more stony silence, though Ryo  
did lean over a bit to whisper to Tenma. "Now what?"  
  
"How am I supposed to know!?" Tenma hissed back. "I'm not  
perfect! Why can't you think of anything?"  
  
The question caught Ryo off-guard. "May... maybe I can think of  
something."  
  
Tenma blinked once, the tone of Ryo's almost shaky voice  
disturbing him. "What are you doing?" he demanded as Ryo stepped  
foreward.  
  
But Ryo Hibiki ignored him. "So that's it then?" he said out  
loud. "We're going to die?"  
  
The General nodded. "You vermin understand."  
  
Ryo's voice became a bit more shaky. "And I'll never see  
Akara's lovely face again? After all I've been through, it's come down  
to this? So much I wanted to do, and I never had a chance..."  
  
"Ryo!?" Tenma exlaimed. "What in the world are you doing?" But  
then he noticed his friend/rival starting to glow a pale yellowish-  
green.  
  
General Genshi frowned. "Yes, what are you doing?"  
  
Ryo ignored them all. "I'll never be happy! I'll never win!" He  
suddenly brought his hands up. "SHISHI HOUKODAN!"  
  
And he exploded.  
  
Tenma's instincts cut in a spilt second before the attack,  
dropping him to the ground. The soldiers weren't so lucky. Ryo's pale  
yellowish-greenish beam of ki energy burst outward from his cupped  
hands, enveloping the spot where the General stood, and passing on to  
the group of soldiers behind him.  
  
When it was over, Tenma slowly picked himself up and looked  
around. I don't believe it! He got the general! He spared a glance at  
the bandanna boy, but Ryo didn't look too good. He seemed to be lapsing  
into a depression, as all he could do was stand there in his post-firing  
position and mumble.  
  
"Impressive for a mere vermin, but ultimately futile," Genshi's  
hated voice returned.  
  
Tenma inhaled sharply as he spotted the General several feet  
away from his previous postion. "How..?"   
  
"I'm not a mere mortal like yourself, that's how."  
  
Tenma gritted his teeth. As soon as he  
finished that thought, however, the ground began to rumble. "What  
the...?"  
  
The soldiers, who were acting uneasy and a bit fearful at Ryo's  
display of power, began chattering nervously to themselves. Even the  
General was looking a bit baffled. The ground shaking increased with  
every second, and something could be heard pounding its way through the  
forest.  
  
"A stampede of some sort?" Tenma wondered out loud.  
  
That's when the huge boulder burst through the last of the  
trees and began to roll through both the camp and the soldiers within.  
Men panicked and broke ranks, as each soldier sought to get out of the  
way of the big-as-a-house rock. Tenma used the opportunity to grab the  
still-mumbling Ryo and run.  
  
"Hey guys!" A voice called. "Over here!"  
  
Tenma glanced up to see a red-headed girl astride one of the  
horses he had been going for all along. Two more were unhitched and  
waiting for both him and his companion. Tenma didn't bother to question  
it, but instead leapt to the closest horse, throwing Ryo onto the other  
one. He took a minute to slap Ryo, which brough him out of it enough for  
the bandanna boy to grab his reins and follow after the rapidly  
departing Tenma and red-headed girl.  
  
It didn't take long for the general to organize his men,  
however, and send them after the fugitives. Soon, six more horses were  
rapidly saddled and mounted, and the three escapees had twice their  
number on their tail.  
  
Not knowing what else to do, Tenma and Ryo followed their  
mysterious helper as she led them through the forest. They had a good  
lead, but there seemed to be no escaping their ardent pursuers.  
  
Tenma pulled his horse up beside the girl. "I don't suppose you  
have some sort of plan to get us out of this?" he yelled over the  
galloping hooves of the horses.  
  
"As a matter of fact, I do!" she yelled back, a big smile on her  
face. "Hold on and follow me!"  
  
Tenma blinked. She almost seemed... too giddy. Still, he and  
Ryo followed her as she sprinted her horse out of the forest and to a  
deep gorge, bridged by a narrow wood and rope structure. They copied her  
actions, dismounting, and then leading their horses across. Down below,  
a river raged past sharp rocks.  
  
As soon as she was across, she immediately began working on the  
ropes with a knife. She tossed a second knife to Tenma as he left the  
bridge, and he took her cue, working on cutting the second rope. When  
Ryo arrived, six horsemen emerged on the other side and prepared to  
duplicate the trio's maneuver. They were stopped, however, as the last  
threads to the ropes were snapped, and the bridge dropped into the  
gorge.  
  
"We made it?" a confused, but somewhat hopefully optimistic Ryo  
asked. A big grin slowly worked it's way across his face. "We made it!"  
  
"Yatta!" Tenma mimicked.  
  
Both boys, in their fit of joy, stopped leaping about to grasp  
each other in a firm bear hug. As soon as they realized what they were  
doing, however, they were apart in a flash.  
  
The red-headed girl giggled. "Well, now that that's settled, we  
should be moving off. They'll find another way around this gorge soon."  
  
"Ah, yeah, thanks for helping us out back there, by the way,"  
Tenma said. "My name's Saotome Tenma and this big idiot is Hibiki Ryo."  
  
Now that he had the opportunity, Tenma took a closer look at  
their savior. She was several inches shorter than he was, with red hair  
tied into a pig-tail. She had green eyes and appeared to be around 16 or  
17 years old. Worn, black trousers and a red blouse with three button up  
clasps on the front hung from her short frame, though it was mostly  
covered in the full brown cloak draped about her body.  
  
The girl executed a short bow. "My name's Ranko and I'm 18  
years old! Pleased to meet ya!"  
  
"No family name?" Ryo asked.  
  
The girl shook her head. "Nuh uh. I'm an orphan. My adopted  
family was killed when I was young by the dark shogun's army when it  
destroyed my town. I've sworn to avenge them!"  
  
Tenma blanched. "Just you!?"  
  
A scowl crossed her face. "No, now I've got you two as well! I  
know I can't do it on my own, so I needed to get help. When I happened  
across General Genshi's army traveling, and saw you two in cages, I  
decided to break you guys out. You know, `the enemy of my enemy is my  
friend,' that sort of thing."  
  
"Well, we'd like to help little girl, but we've got to be  
somewhere," Ryo said. "See ya." He began to mount up on his horse.  
  
"Little girl!" Ranko shrieked, indignant. "Hey this `little  
girl' saved your life! You owe me!"  
  
Tenma chuckled. "She's got you there, Ryo. Plus, we don't know  
the way to the Kuno's estate from here. We got all mixed up during the  
chase." He looked up. "But we should get moving. We'll talk as we ride."  
  
He mounted up, and Ranko followed suit.  
  
"Great!" Ranko said when they were on their way. "Now I was  
thinking of heading south and..."  
  
Tenma interjected. "Hold it, Ranko-san, That's not a good idea.  
That leads into the Dark Shogun's territory."  
  
She scowled at him. "I know that! That's the whole point. We go  
down there and kick some butt! When everyone else sees us stand up to  
them, they'll join us."  
  
"But there already are a lot of people opposing the Dark  
Shogun," Tenma countered. "Tendo-san's army is working towards that end,  
too. As a matter of fact, that's where we were heading. Why don't you  
come with us?"  
  
Ranko gave Tenma a skeptical look. "Tendo-san's army really  
exists? I don't know..."  
  
"What choice do you have?" Ryo asked. "A little girl like you is  
not gonna have any kind of chance against the Dark Shogun."  
  
"LITTLE GIRL!"  
  
Ranko planted both hands on her pommel, then quickly lifted  
herself out of the saddle to swing her feet around, clocking Ryo in the  
chin from where he rode beside her. The impact sent him into the muddy  
ground, while Ranko gracefully settled back into the saddle.  
  
Tenma couldn't help it. "BWA HAHAHA!"  
  
"This is all your fault, Saotome!" Ryo growled as he climbed  
back onto his horse.  
  
Ranko turned back to Tenma. "Okay, so if we link up with Tendo-  
san's army, we can go kick some shogun butt?"  
  
Tenma grinned and nodded. "Yep, that's about the size of it."  
  
"Okay, then I know the way to the Kuno estate," Ranko declared.  
"There's a little place at the bottom of those hills up ahead were we  
can camp. If we ride all day tomorrow, we can get there by tomorrow  
night."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Tenma agreed.  
  
Ryo sighed. "I just know I'm going to hate this." 


	3. Chapter 3

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 3  
  
  
  
  
  
It was late in the afternoon when the elderly man heard his  
front door slowly swing open, it's hinges creaking ominously. His brow  
wrinkled in thought, as he tried to figure out who would be coming to  
visit him.  
  
"Who's there?" he called out.  
  
The young, exhausted, female voice that answered him, was  
almost musical to his ears. "It's just me, grandfather."  
  
The old man quickly grabbed his cane and hobbled into the  
foyer. As he beheld the young girl standing there, his eyes lit up, joy  
flooding his heart. "Akari-chan! You've come home!"  
  
Akari's eyes began to glisten, even as her lower lip began to  
tremble. "Oh, grandfather!" she cried, flying into his arms and sobbing  
into his chest. She came home because she thought she had cried out all  
her tears, but seeing her grandfather again had reminded her of how she  
failed.  
  
"There, there child," he soothed, rubbing her back with his  
hands. "What has happened to you?"  
  
But Akari gave him no reply as she continued to suffocate her  
tears into his robes. Instead, he gently guided her into the dining room  
and guided her to kneel on a cushion by the table.  
  
"Just sit down and rest awhile while I go make some tea," he  
told her soothingly. "Then you can tell your grandfather all about it."  
  
Akari sniffed, but reluctantly let go of the last of her family  
while he hobbled into the kitchen. She wondered exactly what to tell  
him.   
She sniffed again and wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve.  
  
That's when she found a kleenex in front of her face. "Here  
child, use this."  
  
"Th-thank you, grandfather," was all Akari could manage while  
she blew her nose. Afterward, she accepted the cup of tea and took a  
slow sip, savoring the warmth, aroma, and taste. As she put the cup  
down, she found herself considerably calmer.  
  
"Now, take a deep breath and tell me how you feel," her  
grandfather instructed.  
  
Akari did as he asked, long accustomed to listening to his  
wisdom and following his advice. "I... I do feel better. Arigato nasai,  
grandfather."  
  
The elderly Unryuu patriarch sat back on his shins and smiled,  
knowing his granddaughter would soon tell him everything.  
  
And she did.  
  
  
  
  
  
Mousse sensed movement, woke up, and managed to replace his  
glasses just in time to see Shampoo lunge at him. He immediately  
recoiled and quacked in fear, but the human-cat hybrid pounced and  
grabbed him anyway, his glasses falling off in the process. She opened  
her mouth and rested her teeth on the duck's neck, preparing to break it  
and end the duck's struggling.  
  
Shampoo paused, sensing something familiar. She slowly stood up  
and took her trembling would-be meal out of her mouth. Holding it up,  
she gazed into it's face and, for a second, another face superimposed  
itself onto the duck's. It was a brief image of a boy with long-black  
hair and glasses, and behind those glasses, lurked a pair of beautiful  
blue eyes.  
  
She gasped and dropped the duck. "Mou... Mousse?"  
  
The duck pulled another pair of glasses out his wings and put  
them on, then looked up and quacked affirmative at her.  
  
Anger flitted across the feral girl's face. "Stupid Mousse,"  
she mumbled, then turned around and went in search of some food. "Always  
get in Shampoo's way. Shampoo should eat stupid duck. Then finally be  
rid of stupid Mousse."  
  
Despite her pre-occupation with Mousse, Shampoo's senses still  
detected the attack, albeit barely. She leaned out of the way as the  
sword slashed it's way across her path, then jumped back, scanning for  
her attacker.  
  
An almost silent wind change was her only warning. She ducked  
and sprang as a sword traveled over her head, missing it by bare  
centimeters. Her hand swiped out in the location she thought her  
assailant to be, but caught only empty air.  
  
was the only thought she had time for, when a fist  
impacted her midsection.  
  
Shampoo had been trained for battle from a very young age. She  
had been toughened up and taught how to take pain. It was similiar to  
the training Ryoga had been through to learn the Bakusai Tenketsu,  
though not as painful. Instead, it was more mind-focused. In battle, she  
could distance her mind from the pain she was receiving in order to  
better deliver her counter attacks. It was a standard martial arts feat,  
that only some of the best martial artists could accomplish. It had  
helped her defeat her villages top fighters and become the best of her  
generation. It was something that she always relied upon, since it never  
failed her.  
  
Until now.  
  
Sharp, stabbing pain shot up and down her body as she buckled  
and folded around the fist. Her air flow was cut off and she lost all  
contact with her legs. Her mouth gaped open, but no scream could be  
emitted. As she collapsed to the ground, she heard the voice of her  
attackers for the first time.  
  
"Well, that was disappointing," came a light, male voice in  
Japanese. "What's so scary about these guys again, Zan?"  
  
Despite the agony flowing through her body, Shampoo still  
detected the second pair of footfalls land beside her.  
  
"Don't know, Zin," the male known as `Zan', replied in the same  
language. "The boss just wants these people taken out. At least we'll  
get a nifty bonus out of this."  
  
Shampoo's eyes finally cleared up enough to glimpse the pair  
standing above her. They were nearly identical in appearance and dress,  
though one was slightly taller than the other. Black, raggedy, form-  
fitting cloaks covered them from neck down to mid-thigh, though Shampoo  
could catch glimpses of black armor through small holes, and from where  
it stuck out of their cloaks.  
  
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Several thrown knives, shuriken, and weighted  
chains accompanied the fiercely shouted command.  
  
Shampoo groaned. Thankfully, she could feel her strength  
returning. In another minute, she would be combat-worthy once more.  
  
The twin, youthful-looking individuals jumped clear of the  
barrage, though Shampoo noticed the shorther one moved a bit faster than  
his twin. They landed ten feet apart, with twin grins. Mousse, on the  
other hand, had stepped between them and Shampoo, and was brandishing a  
pair of tri-pronged claws menacingly.  
  
"Well, this should cure your disappointment, brother," Zan  
offered. "He looks somewhat worthy." His gaze switched to the half-cat  
girl that was slowly standing up behind Mousse. "But it looks like you  
didn't finish the freak-girl. Shame on you."  
  
Zin shrugged. "I don't leave jobs unfinished."  
  
"Then I'll take the boy," Zan said.  
  
"Agreed."  
  
The twins attacked.  
  
"You'll have to get through me first!" Mousse yelled as he swung  
forward to meet the dual charge.  
  
"Mousse, No!" Shampoo commanded, but it was no use. Then she  
blinked as the shorter one, Zin, seemed to blink momentarily, then head  
sideways and disappear.  
  
The raging Mousse seemed to pay that one no heed, and instead  
concentrated on the remaining member of the pair. He slashed out with  
the claws as Zan came into range, but the other boy easily dodged  
Mousse's strikes.  
  
That was all Shampoo was able to observe, as she came under an  
attack of her own. Zin materialized right in front of her with a cocky  
grin, startling the Amazon girl. Then she was forced on the defensive as  
the younger boy launched into a complex pattern of lightening fast  
punches and kicks.  
  
Shampoo backpedaled as fast as she could, while trying to fend  
off the overwhelming assault. It was all she could do to maintain an  
effective defense, but she knew it couldn't last. Another part of Shampoo's mind realized she  
had never been this fast either, and that it was because of this half-  
cat form.  
  
But she also realized the increased agility came at a price,  
when a punch she didn't see coming broke through her defenses and  
impacted her jaw. Her head snapped around and dizziness overclouded her  
mind. She dropped and rolled instinctively, barely avoiding the  
finishing strike. Apparently, her faster speed speed also meant a  
decreased toughness and ability to absorb pain.  
  
She came to rest face down in the dirt, then shakily tried to  
rise up on all fours. That was all she could manage while the waves of  
vertigo assaulted her.  
  
"Poor kitty," came the hated voice of her advesary. "Not as  
tough as she thought she was." The cockiness and arrogance of his tone  
bit through the pained haze of in her mind.  
  
Shampo's disorientation was now almost gone, but she feigned  
some more and waited until the sound of his footfalls indicated he was  
within range. Then, when he was almost next to her, her tail whipped out  
and curled itself around Zin's right leg. She gave a quick tug, then  
sprang and struck with her right clawed hand.  
  
Surprise was clearly evident on the strange boy's face as the  
cat-girl's claw raked across his chest. The cloak was reduced to rags,  
but her claws only scratched the black armor underneath. Shampoo  
continued to turn and brought her left hand up, backhanding her opponent  
across the face.  
  
Zin completed his fall and backflipped away, pulling his leg  
out of the tail hold. He reached a standing postion several meters away,  
an angry scowl covering his visage.  
  
"That hurt," he said, a tone of deepening anger in his voice. He  
reached up to brush away the trickle of blood coming from the corner of  
his mouth with the back of his hand. "You'll pay for that, freak-girl."  
  
Shampoo was already starting to pant heavily and was dismayed  
her adversary didn't seem to have even broken a sweat yet. She then  
tried to supress the shiver of fear she felt as he pulled out a pair of  
katar, twelve inch long blades with horizontal handles.  
  
Zin grinned and hoisted the weapons in a cross pattern. "This  
time, I'm going to finish you pussycat."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Mousse was having his own troubles. Shortly after the failed  
attack with the claws, which his opponent broke somehow, Mousse jumped  
back and prepared another long range attack. He knew he probably  
wouldn't be able to hit the one known as Zan with it, but he should be  
able to maneuver his enemy into a position where a follow-up attack  
would be successful.  
  
With a kiyah, he released another barrage of thrown weapons and  
chains and charged, but his opponent's reactions were not what he  
expected. Instead, Zan merely laughed and raised his arms in reply.  
Something long and green shot out of each of his cloaked arms, and  
batted all of Mousse's weapons out of the air.  
  
The myopic Amazon froze in astonishment as the tentacles  
continued to wave about in the air. He then shook off his surprise and  
dashed in to attack, but was forced back as Zan used the tentacles like  
whips to snap at Mousse.  
  
The hidden weapons master growled in frustration at his  
inablity to close with his opponent, and instead launched another long  
range weapon attack. The result was the same; none of the weapons got  
through but were instead swept from the sky by the whip-like appendages.  
He pulled out a katana and attempted to cut the tentacles, but he found  
it pulled from his grasp before he could use it. A hand ax was  
similarily neutrilized.  
  
Zan's maddening chuckle increased in volume as a second pair of  
tentacales emerged from the blackness of his cloaked arms. Mousse was  
continually forced back, and he was losing weapons as fast as he could  
pull them out in his attempts to fend off the quartet of sickly green  
whips.  
  
Finally, a single tentacle managed to work it's way inside his  
guard and spear his left shoulder. It withdrew, but the damage was done,  
as evident by the growing red stain on his white robe. Mousse grabbed  
his shoulder in pain, but that just opened him up to a few more spear  
strikes by the suddenly sharp living whips.  
  
  
  
  
Shampoo managed a glance over to Mousse just in time to witness  
the barrage of strikes. Her throat became tight as she witnessed Mousse  
being driven to his knees, and she caught sight of the red on his robe.  
  
"Mousse!" she cried, but her moment's distraction cost her.  
  
Zin charged in, flickering as he seemed to skip several meters  
of space. Shampoo backpedaled, but the blade of the katar left it's own  
red wake across her right shoulder. She realized it wasn't a deep cut,  
but she knew the loss of blood would start to slow her down.  
  
Flashes of sliver were her only indications of attacks, but she  
couldn't avoid them all, and she could barely see her rapidly moving  
advesary behind them. More cuts appeared across her body, arms, and  
legs, and the wave of dizziness started to return. A spin kick caught  
her in the gut, and she went tumbling to the ground.  
  
With a sickening realization, Shampoo knew she was going to  
die.  
  
  
  
  
Ryoga-buta had yet to make any sort of movement from where he  
was tucked into the arm of the apparently blind old man that carried  
him. On the ground, the black dog that had found him in the mud skipped  
about, as if he somehow sensed the pork delicacy he would have tonight.  
  
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ryoga got the feeling of  
familiarity, but was stuck too deep in his depression to care at the  
moment.  
  
It wasn't long before the dirt road led them to a cabin in the  
forest, and the old man brought Ryoga inside. He was plopped on the  
table and he could hear the sound of a fire being started in the  
fireplace.  
  
The dog barked and pranced around the room happily.  
  
"Won't be long, boy," the old man said cheerfully. "And then  
we'll have ourselves a real good pork dinner."  
  
"Woof!"  
  
"What I don't understand, are these clothes and backpack we  
found," the old man continued. "I feel a strong sense of ki within them,  
and especially within these bandannas. Who would leave them out in the  
open like that?"  
  
The buzzing sensation in the back of Ryoga's brain increased  
tenfold. Something was very familiar about this situation. With great  
reluctance, he finally brough his eyes up to behold the blind man  
feeling one of his bandannas. A black bandanna was tied around the old  
man's bald head, and his eyes were closed. The old, faded jeans he was  
wearing had several holes in them, as did the brown shirt.  
  
Suddenly, he remembered he had been here before. His pig ears  
came up and he squealed in surprise.   
  
The man's head came around at Ryoga's squeal. "What's that  
little piggy? Do you know who this stuff belongs to?"  
  
The pig nodded his head furiously, then realized the man  
wouldn't be able to see his head nodding. He desperately looked around,  
wondering where some hot water was when he needed it. His eyes  
eventually fell upon the cooking pot sitting over the fire.  
  
he realized. He had  
lost track long ago of the many times he had been dropped in cooking pot  
of boiling water, only to enact the change and run away naked.   
  
The old man walked over to the table and picked the pig up by  
it's bandanna. "Well, anyway, time for this little guy to become our  
dinner."  
  
The rest was predictable and, in the end, Ryoga was getting  
dressed while a confused old man was sitting on the floor and wondering  
what happened. A spilled pot of hot water was on the floor, and the dog  
was cowering in the corner.  
  
"Sensei!" Ryoga exclaimed when he finished dressing. "I can't  
believe it's you!"  
  
The old man's ears perked up at the familiar voice. "Ryoga-san?  
Is that you?"  
  
The lost boy bowed."Yes, sensei."  
  
The old man stood up and walked over to Ryoga, then reached his  
hands out to feel the boy's face. "So it is you."  
  
*BOP!*  
  
"Ow!" Ryoga exclaimed while rubbing his head. "What was that  
for!?"  
  
The old man replaced his bandanna after using it to whack  
Ryoga. "A student never walks out on his sensei until the training is  
finished!"  
  
"But it wasn't my fault!" he protested. "I-I told you I... get  
lost easily."  
  
The old man turned around and walked back to the fire. "It's  
time you started taking responsiblity for your actions. It's true that  
you do get lost easily, but you never would have wandered away if you  
weren't so obssessed with getting your revenge." He turned back around  
and stared at Ryoga with sightless eyes. "Did you ever get your revenge,  
hmmm?"  
  
Ryoga's face reddened and he dropped his head. After he'd seen  
what Ranma had done at Jusendo, his desire for revenge had been dampened  
some. He realized then, that if Ranma had truely gone all out like he  
had on Saffron, Ryoga wouldn't stand a chance. He still had a desire to  
fight Ranma, but it wasn't as strong as it used to be.  
  
And then he found out Ranma considered him a friend and wanted  
to help him! How could he truly still consider Ranma an enemy? Someone  
to be hated? That question begat several others, all unpleasant. The  
answers to which, would mean he had spent several years on revenge when  
he had been the one at fault.  
  
Ryoga's old sensei took the silence as an answer. "So you  
didn't, did you?" He chuckled. "Count yourself lucky, then."  
  
Ryoga's head snapped up. "Whadda ya mean, lucky!?"  
  
"The path of revenge leads only to despair. Those that manage to  
get the revenge that they desperately seek, find their souls have been  
overcome by darkness. For them, there is little hope of turning back.  
But you have yet to fulfill your revenge quest, so there is still hope,  
but only if you give it up!"  
  
Thoughts of the bread feud, the missed fight in the empty lot,  
his Jusenkyo cursing, and all the humiliation he had received from  
Ranma, came back to him. "I can't! I can't stop until I'm better than  
Ranma!"  
  
"So, the object of your revenge has a name," the old man said  
thoughtfully. "Interesting. But I taught you the Iron Cloth technique,  
hoping the training would temper your spirit. Unfortunately, you  
disappeared before I could teach you everything."  
  
"There's more?" Ryoga asked, disbelievingly.  
  
"Of course there's more!"  
  
Ryoga's voice became very meek. "Would... you teach me more,  
sensei?"  
  
"Depends." The sensei eyed him. "Have you got someplace else to  
be?"  
  
The lost boy's thoughts turned to home, where only an empty  
house awaited him since both his parents were most likely lost again.  
Then he thought of Nerima, where Ranma and Akane were, but he couldn't  
face either one of them now. He knew Sakura was probably looking for  
him, but he wanted nothing to do with her.  
  
And lastly, he thought of an old farmhouse, where a sweet,  
young girl lived, that he loved, but who ran from him last time.  
  
Ryoga shook his head. "I've got nowhere else to go."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ukyo stared out the window of the train, wondering what she  
would face when she returned home. Her father, whom she hadn't seen for  
six years, was dying. How was she supposed to feel?  
  
He had never really wanted her around to begin with, since he  
had wanted a son instead. But when her mother died in giving birth to  
her, those chances were ruined. He didn't believe in remarrying, but he  
didn't particularly want a daughter either.  
  
So he gave her a boy's name and tried desperately tried to  
raise her as such, except when he attempted to pawn her off others. But  
nobody wanted their son to marry a girl who looked like a boy. So when  
she had become friends with Ranma, the Kuonji patriarch saw his chance.  
It would cost him the yatai, but he would finally be free of a child he  
never wanted.  
  
Only things didn't work out as well as he hoped.  
  
Genma stole the yatai and left Ukyo behind. Her father took up  
work in another restaurant, but considered Ukyo to no longer be his  
responsibility. She hung around for awhile, not knowing what else to do,  
but eventually the cold shoulder treatment of her father and the jeers  
of her peers forced her to leave.  
  
Outside, the scenery blended together, forming a never ending  
cascade of green grass and grey skies. The gentle vibrations of the  
train tried their best to soothe her, but it wasn't working. She was  
just too apprehensive. The same question pounded itself in her brain  
over and over.  
  
What awaited her at home?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The campfire had dulled to small blaze, giving just enough  
light to see in the immediate area. That was fine, since there was only  
one individual there to absorb the light and heat. She puffed slowly on  
her pipe and drew the blanket tighter around her frail-looking body in  
an effort to stave off the cold of the night.  
  
she remarked to herself.   
  
Being rejected and expelled by her own people had not improved  
her attitude in the slightest. Instead, it had festered and grown like a  
cancerous sore. Revenge was all she lived for now. Well, that and power,  
but revenge was what kept her alive. She would not die, could not die.  
  
Not until all her enemies were laid out at her feet.  
  
"I will have my revenge," she whispered softly, but with  
conviction.  
  
"How the mighty have fallen," came mocking voice from the  
surroundings, echoing the old woman's earlier thoughts.  
  
Instantly, she went on the defnesive and scanned the vicinity,  
but detected nothing. "Who are you, who pretends to mock me? Why not  
come on out and see how far I have fallen for yourself?"  
  
A chuckle was her reply. "I think I will take your word for  
that. You see, I mean no disrespect. As a matter of fact, I am awed by  
your power."  
  
"Flattery will get you nowhere," the old woman stated gruffly.  
"But I've no time for games. So why don't you either get to the point,  
or leave."  
  
"Short and to the point," the male voice replied. "Very well, I  
shall show myself."  
  
Instanly she detected the arrival of her unseen  
conversationalist. She watched, unfazed, as he materialized into view,  
sitting cross-legged and floating several feet off the ground. A black  
cloak obscured his form and face, and a black aura surrounded him that  
she could only barely detect. A crystal ball floated in his lap and it  
swirled with many dark colors.  
  
He then removed his hood, baring his bald visage to her  
surprised gaze.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, her brows knitting together.  
  
"Merely someone who would offer you what you want," he replied,  
his black pupils not reflecting the firelight. "Your chance at revenge."  
  
She scoffed. "And what do you want in return?"  
  
He smiled. "Why, the same thing as you. You see, you have  
particular skills we could use. And you can go where we cannot yet."  
  
"And where is that?"  
  
"The land of Wa," he replied.  
  
She blinked. "Japan? Why?"  
  
"It's a long story that I don't wish to go into right now." He  
dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand. "Now, shall we work  
together for what we both want?"  
  
The old woman could feel the darkness eminating from the man,  
and she knew she'd be making a deal with the devil if she agreed. But  
her hunger for revenge and power was too strong, and she nodded.  
  
The man grinned evilly. "Excellent! Then you, Zhao Len, shall  
have your revenge against Ranma Saotome. And the Joketsuzoku shall be  
yours to command!"  
  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
I've always wondered where Ryoga learned his fighting techniques. Most  
of it seems to be based on brute strength, but he does have those tricks  
he does with his bandannas, belt, and umbrella. Where did he learn to do  
that stuff when it's shown he doesn't know how to do it as a kid? 


	4. Chapter 4

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 4  
  
  
  
  
  
"You're just being paranoid, Ranma," Akane said.  
  
"I'm tellin' ya, Akane, somethin's gonna happen!"  
  
Akane sighed noisily as they both walked home from school on  
the fence. They had been having this argument all day, ever since Ranma  
claimed to sense doom and gloom coming. But when she pressed him for  
details, he was unable, or unwilling, to provide any.  
  
"Maybe it's just Ryoga or Pantyhose Taro who's going to show  
up," she said at last. "You always seemed to get ansy when you know a  
fight is coming."  
  
He shook his head. "Doesn't feel like that. Feels worse."  
  
She stopped and turned around, putting her hands on her hips in  
the process. "Now you stop that right now, or you're not getting your  
dessert tonight!"  
Ranma blanched. He voiced that last  
thought aloud, but the return look he got from her puzzled him.  
  
She blushed mildly and smiled coyly at him. "You're hopeless!"  
  
"I am not!" he countered weakly. "And what's your problem?"  
  
She took a quick glance around and, when she noted no one was  
in sight, she stepped up and whispered in his ear, than turned around  
and took off running. "I'm gonna beat ya home!"  
  
Ranma was frozen for a half-second afterward, his own cheeks  
heating up from her whispered comment, but her shouted challenge drove  
him back into action. "No you won't!" he shouted as he took off after  
her.  
  
He was hoping to take the short route home, via rooftop, but  
Akane beat him to that idea as she went airborne. With a huff, he leapt  
up after her.  
  
  
  
  
  
*Thonk* *Thonk* *Thonk*  
  
The three distinct sounds managed to focus Shampoo's thoughts  
out of her dizziness. She hadn't acutally lost too much blood yet, but  
it was rapidly approaching that point. She was lying on the ground,  
expecting that final stroke that would end her life, and wondering what  
was taking it so long.  
  
She held no fear of death. She had seen many in the tribe die  
through combat, and knew that when it was her time to come, she wanted  
to go down fighting against a superior opponent. At least this way she  
would get her wish.  
  
Unfortunately, that was not to be.  
  
The three thrown knives that backed Zin off, exploded into  
billowy clouds of white smoke. Shampoo turned her head to see a similiar  
situation over by the fallen Mousse. White smoke continued to engulf the  
battlefield, obscuring the combatants. Shampoo barely had time to  
register what was happening, when she was suddenly scooped up from the  
ground and carried off.  
  
"What--?" Her vision was blurry, so she couldn't make out the  
face of her rescuer.  
  
"Shh, don't speak now, child," the female voice replied.  
"Sleep."  
  
Shampoo felt a finger touch the back of her neck, then lapsed  
into blessed unconciousness.  
  
  
  
  
  
When Mousse awoke, his first thought was of how he had lost  
Shampoo.  
  
The last thing he remembered was how his opponent was stabbing  
him over and over again. Eventually, weak from blood loss, he dropped  
face first to the ground. There were three muffled blasts, then nothing.  
  
he wondered.   
  
(Yeah right, like you showed him in your last encounter?)  
  
I didn't know what he was capable of! Now I do!  
  
(You didn't know what Saotome was capable of, either. Now you  
do. Has that knowledge helped you?)  
  
Mousse could form no answer for this last question. He had  
never really defeated Ranma. Any victories he had were minor, and  
Saotome always won in the end. And still, Shampoo showed no signs of  
wanting him, even if he did win. So where did he go from here?  
  
(Well, you might just consider getting your lazy butt up and  
seeing where you are)  
  
Groaning from the pain in his body, he slowly opened his eyes  
and was met by a blur. That was nothing new, since he was greeted by a  
blur everytime he opened his eyes. But it was the information coming  
from his other senses that surprised him. The particular pine smell, the  
rythmic chopping outside, the feel of his current bed, all told him  
exactly where he was.  
  
he wondered.   
  
There was only one way to be sure. Though his body was  
protesting, he carefully pushed back the blanket on top of him and swung  
his feet off the bed. Taking a short breather to ease the pain, he  
slowly assumed a sitting position. Then, producing another set of  
glasses from his pants, which was the only other thing he discovered he  
was wearing other than the bandages which covered most of his chest, he  
put on the coke-bottle lenses and had a look around.  
  
He was in the spare bedroom of a well-kept log cabin. Light  
came in through the two windows on adjacent walls, telling him it was  
day. In the corner, a long-unused wooden desk sat, across from the bed  
where he was now. A small end table was next to the bed, but other than  
that, the room was empty.  
  
"I am here," he whispered to himself. "Why?"  
  
He spied his white robe and laying on the desk chair a short  
distance away, and his black shoes by his feet. Slipping on the shoes,  
he tried to stand up once, but sat back down when the dizziness became  
too much for him. But he would not give up.  
  
Steeling himself as if for battle, he rose again and this time  
managed to stay up, though he had to lean on the nearby wall for  
support.   
  
Mousse retrieved his robe and put it on, noting with some  
amusment that all his weapons were restocked, even though he had used  
quite a bit in his last battle. Then he stepped out of the room and  
walked slowly down the hall to the foyer.  
  
The rythmic chopping was getting louder now, and Mousse  
imagined the man he knew to be chopping wood. He wondered what kind of  
greeting he would receive, knowing that their last parting had been less  
than cordial, whwn Fen Wu had ordered him never to return.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he opened the front door and stepped  
outside.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I still don't know why you insisted we bring them here," Fen Wu  
was saying in Chinese. "Why not take them back to their home village?  
It's not that far from here." He stopped to wipe the sweat off his brow,  
then repostioned another piece of wood.  
  
"Because that is not the best course of action right now," a  
female voice replied in kind from the nearby shadow of the trees.  
  
The man lifted his axe. *Whack!* Another block of wood was  
split perfectly in two. "So you've said before."  
  
His female companion sighed. "Well, let me put it this way. In  
the village, they'll be easy targets since the twin Rogues will find  
them again. They're less likely to find them here. They'll be safe until  
they can recover."  
  
*Whack!* "What makes you think I'll let them stay?" he said in a  
gruff voice.  
  
He knew the woman was smiling, even though he couldn't see her.  
"Because I know you. You're one of us, even though you don't live with  
us."  
  
Fen stopped and pointed a finger in the direction he knew the  
woman to be. "I'm no longer one of you! I left your people and your  
misbegotten ways a long time ago!" He turned back to his task. "But I  
will let them stay here a week, no more. They leave after that no matter  
what shape they're in."  
  
An audible sigh could be heard from the shadows. "Very well.  
But it seems as if your student is about to join us. I should be going."  
  
"Don't you mean `former' student?"  
  
But she was gone, and Fen Wu only caught a glimpse of the long  
blue hair as she departed. Immediately afterward, the front door to his  
cabin in the woods opened and Mousse stepped out. Fen pretended to  
ignore the white-robed boy. Instead, he concentrated on his wood-  
chopping. It normally brought him some semblance of peace, but not  
today.  
  
"Greetings, Weapons Master Fen Wu," Mousse said softly in his  
native Mandarin when he had traversed the distance between them. His old  
master was just like he remembered. Bald, but with black sideburns. Old,  
but well-muscled and in good physical condition, and wearing the same  
pair of faded black pants. "Before you say anything, I just want you to  
know I'll leave as soon as I am in shape to travel. But I thank you for  
saving me."  
  
"Going to run away again?"  
  
Mousse blinked. This was not the response he was expecting.  
Well, he was expecting just a gruff reply or something in the  
affirmative, but not that question.  
  
"I didn't run away!" the mypoic Amazon protested. "Shan Pu had  
been defeated by a man! I had to save her from him!"  
  
"She is only one woman, Mu Tsu," Fen Wu replied. "There would be  
others."  
  
"Not like Shan Pu!"  
  
Fen Wu brought the axe down with a mighty *crack!*, then turned  
on his pupil. "That was still no reason to abandon your training! You  
were the one hope I had left that the men of Joketsuzoku weren't  
spineless worms! When you approached me to learn to fight, I was  
impressed. I thought you wanted more than to be the subservient slave of  
a woman!"  
  
"But..." Mousse's voice failed him. What could he say against  
the truth his old master had just stated?  
  
"That's what I thought," the old master said, turning back to  
his work.  
  
A sudden thought struck Mousse. "Haven't you ever loved someone  
so much, you'd sacrifice anything for?"  
  
He didn't miss Fen Wu's sharp intake of breath, nor the slow  
exhale. "Once," he admitted softly. Then his face hardened. "But only  
once."  
  
"Then you know how I feel!" Mousse began to feel waves of nausea  
rise up . The midday sun and the fact that he was still weak from blood  
loss, was taking it's toll on him.  
  
*Crack!* Fen Wu split the last log, then paused. "Yes, I suppose  
I do."  
  
Mousse could stand against the dizziness no longer, and dropped  
to one knee. "Then... I want... to finish... my training."  
  
"Stupid boy! You can't even stand right now. Why should I teach  
you?"  
  
"Because..." Mousse brought his head up. "I love Shan Pu and I  
will never give her up, but... if we join, it will be as equals... not  
one superior to the other."  
  
Fen Wu sighed audibly and mumbled another "Stupid boy." He then  
pulled Mousse to his feet and draped one of the young Amazon's arms  
around him in order to lead him back into the house.  
  
"I'm not going to go easy you IF I do decide to start training  
you again," the weapons master said at last. "It won't be like before.  
No learning just what you want. If you think you're in bad shape now,  
just wait." He stopped and fixed Mousse with a deadly stare. "And if  
Shan Pu leaves, don't even think of going after her, or I will hunt you  
down and kill you."  
  
Mousse's eyes widened. "Shan Pu is here!?"  
  
The master nodded, even as he dragged Mousse back down the hall  
towards his room. "She's in slightly worse shape than you, but she'll  
live. I don't even want to know why she looks like she does."  
  
Mousse groaned again as his master tossed him back onto the  
bed. Then Fen Wu turned and began to walk out. He stopped in the  
doorway, however, and said one last thing before he left.  
  
"Get plenty of rest. We start training again tomorrow." Then he  
left, closing the door behind him.  
  
The young Amazon wondered how he should feel. Right now he was  
in pain from his wounds, but Shan Pu was alive and she was resting here!  
His master had agreed to finish his training, but starting tomorrow!?  
  
How was he going to train in his condition?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"AKANE!"  
  
It had all happened so fast, at first Ranma couldn't believe  
it. They were running along towards home, Akane still in the lead but  
not by much, when a truck with trailer pulled alongside of her. Before  
either of them knew it, she was entangled in a net and was being drawn  
into the open side hatch of the trailer. By the time she collected her  
wits, focused her strength and broke the net, she was trapped inside the  
pitch blackness of the trailer.  
  
Ranma poured on as much speed as he could manage and made a  
leaping jump to the rear of the vehicle. He latched on smoothly as it  
picked up speed, then scampered up top. He grinned as he felt something  
being thrown against the inside of the trailer.  
  
he thought to himself.   
  
Taking a deep breath and a tight grip on the edge of the truck,  
he swung down and kicked the hidden door open. Completing the maneveur,  
Ranma released his hands and flew into the trailer, doing a tuck and  
tumble to come back to his feet.  
  
"Akane!"  
  
"I'm here, Ranma! There's other people in here!"  
  
"Where!?" To his chagrin, he realized the door had been closed  
again, leaving the trailer in pitch-black darkness once again. "Never  
mind! Get your aura goin'!"  
  
Akane nodded, even though she knew Ranma wouldn't be able to  
see her. Part of her training over the past couple of months had focused  
on controlling her ki. She had known an aura was simply a spectrum of  
released ki that radiated around the body, but she had little control  
over it. Ranma's training had helped that, and she had learned another  
purpose for it.  
  
It was possible to use an aura to feel another's presence,  
especially if that person was familiar. In fact, the more familiar a  
person, the more you could tell what that person was going to do if they  
both had enough of an aura going. Right now, she knew Ranma was  
enagaging one of their assailants with a foot sweep, even though she  
couldn't see him. In fact, she knew he was going to lead into an  
Amaguriken next.  
  
All this was happening subconciously, however, as she was  
currently engaging her own opponent. Her senses were telling her it a  
small man with little strength, but he was very nimble and Akane was  
unable to connect with anything.  
  
After one attempted punch, she found herself being tossed  
through the air. A year ago, she would have impacted the wall badly. But  
Ranma had been in the habit of tossing her around the dojo until she  
began to learn one of the prime tenants of the Musbetsu Kakuto: mid-air  
combat. Ranma was an expert at it, but now Akane was no slouch in that  
department.  
  
She twisted in mid-air and used her feet to rebound off the  
wall. As she arced back through the air, she twisted again, and swept  
her foot out, narrowly clipping her opponent's side. She would have  
liked a more solid hit, but that would have to do.  
  
she thought triumphantly to herself.   
  
He didn't try it again, but Akane was unable to connect with  
anything else. Growling in frustration, she let her aura flicker  
slightly. She smiled when she felt Ranma's aura flicker in return, then  
shifted her stance to little to the right.  
  
Her opponent complied by shifting his body to the left. Akane  
led in with a few lightning fast spin kicks, not quite at Amaguriken  
speed, just to let him know she was still in the fight. He weaved around  
some and gracfully deflected the others, but that was what Akane was  
expecting. She felt Ranma's aura flicker again and dropped to the ground  
just time to avoid the flying body overhead.  
  
In the darkness, Ranma's flying adversary collided with  
Akane's, catching him off-guard. They tumbled to the floor and Akane  
felt Ranma walk up beside her. Her stance shifted to accomodate him, and  
their aura's flowed together.  
  
"What now?" she asked.  
  
"We get some answers," Ranma answered evenly, cracking his  
knuckles. "And then we leave." His aura flared brightly, lighting the  
area for the first time. Akane also noticed that the truck had stopped  
somewhere along the line. "How about it, boys? You ready to talk? Or do  
we have ta do some more convincin'?"  
  
Together, they looked like a comical pair. The one Ranma was  
fighting, was a large, muscular man wearing only black pants. A lone  
sumo knot was the only hair on his head. He reminded Akane of the  
professional wrestlers they had in America.  
  
The short one appeared to be an old, Chinese martial artist. He  
was dressed in the Chinese shirt and pant combo that Ranma frequently  
wore, complete with hat, only his were yellow in color. A white, wire  
mustache and long goatee covered his face.  
  
The short Chinese man Akane was fighting spoke to his  
companion. "We cannot fight them now. We must escape!"  
  
"Agreed," the bigger man replied, and the pair scrambled out the  
door.  
  
"You're not getting away that easily!" Akane shouted, taking  
pursuit.  
  
"Akane, wait!" Ranma yell, taking off after her, but she  
wouldn't listen.  
  
The world outside the truck was not what they were expecting.  
It was a rock cavern with no visible exits to the outside. Several  
torches provided enough light, enough to see the two men running into  
one of the side caves. Three more cave entrances lined the rocky face.  
  
However, Akane took only token notice of this, seeing how  
intent she was on pursuing the men who had tried to abduct her. Ranma  
was only a second behind her, but that was enough.  
  
As soon as she entered the tunnel, a thick slab of rock slid  
over the entrance, blocking it even as Ranma collided with it. He  
bounced off it with a *thud*, and fell onto his butt. It didn't stun him  
for long, and he was up and pounding away at the rock with all his  
might.  
  
"Akane!" he yelled, while punching crater's into the rock with  
ki-charged fists. It didn't make his punches any stronger, but it did  
protect his hands from being broken. It was how he was able to break  
through wood and stone with taking damage.  
  
His enraged fiancee was, however, out of hearing range as she  
chased after her attackers into the darkness.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was a dark and musty sanctuary.  
  
Spiderwebs hung from the ceiling corners, and statues of  
gargoyles and other foul beasts lined the columns of the main chamber.  
Only four torches lit the large room, just light enough to see and to  
cast plenty of shadows. A lone table was set up in the middle, right on  
top of the pentagram.  
  
In other words, it fit the atmosphere of those gathered just  
perfectly.  
  
"Is everyone here?" a gruff man's voice called from the head of  
the rectangular table.  
  
"Not quite, m'liege," another male voice answered. "Dormando has  
yet to arrive."  
  
"Again, he flaunts us!" a deep and gruff voice exclaimed, this  
one belonging to a huge, muscular warrior, with an equally huge battle-  
ax. "He calls a meeting and then fails to show up! We should take steps  
to banish him now."  
  
"Enough, Mongol!" the dark figure at the head of the table  
commanded. "Dormando was one of the orginial four, as was I. His loyalty  
to the Master was unquestionable. He deserves some leeway and your  
respect, is that clear?"  
  
The barbarian conceeded, but didn't look happy about it. "Yes,  
m'liege."  
  
"I appreciate your defense of me, my good friend, but it is  
hardly needed." Dormando materlized above his seat and floated down into  
it, his dark cloak flapping lazily.  
  
The head figure fixed him with a dark stare. "Still, you are  
expected to follow the rules, sorcerer. We can ill afford any mess-ups  
now."  
  
"Ah, but I have come with good news!" Dormando countered. "I  
have gathered another for our cause. An exiled Amazon named Zhao Len."  
  
"I have heard of her," another man farther down the table  
replied. "She is strong. Are you sure she can be trusted?"  
  
The sorcerer dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "She desires  
revenge and power, Kang. That makes her easily manipulated."  
  
"Very well," the leader of the table said. "Any other news?"  
  
Dormando grinned, as if he was awaiting that question. "Oh,  
indeed. Observe." He made a circular motion with his hand, and a dense  
globe of fog appeared over the table. It coalesced into a picture. In  
it, three people could be seen moving through forest.  
  
Kang frowned. "Ninjas?"  
  
Dormando nodded. "They are heading back to their home ground.  
They, as well as I, have received word that the sealed cave has opened."  
  
"Does that that mean...?"  
  
"Maybe, m'liege. But my instincts tell me we should let it play  
out for now."  
  
The leader nodded. "Agreed. At least some at this table are  
making themselves useful." His gaze traveled down the table, past Kang,  
and settled on two young men. "Zin and Zan. You failed to kill the two  
Amazons. What say you to this?"  
  
"We almost had them!" Zin proclaimed. "But then someone else  
interfered."  
  
"Yeah!" Zan agreed. "We'll get them next time!"  
  
"And what makes you so sure you'll get a second chance?"  
  
The twins exchanged looks, then turned back as one, though it  
was Zin who responded. "Because the next battle will end in either their  
death or ours."  
  
The leader mulled this over for minute, then chuckled. "Very  
well. You shall have your second chance. But if you fail again, there  
will be a price to pay."  
  
The twins grimly nodded their undestanding. Neither one would  
risk failure again.  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Yes m'liege," Dormando replied. "My sources also tell me that  
_She_ will be appearing soon."  
  
That succeeded in getting everyone's attention, including the  
leader of the table. "When? How?" he demanded to know.  
  
"Soon, is all I can say," the wizard explained. "And for that,  
we can thank an old friend of ours, a creature of the dark we once  
knew."  
  
The leader frowned and tweaked his thin, ebony mustache. "But  
we cannot yet enter the Land of Wa, so it is impossible for us to take  
any action yet. We will have another opportunity."  
  
"But m'liege, I--"  
  
"No!" the leader cut Dormando off when his mailed fist struck  
the table. "On this, I draw the line. We will have another chance. It is  
too risky now."  
  
The wizard fell back in line. "Yes, m'liege."  
  
The leader fixed everyone with a hard stare. "We must move  
slowly if we are to succeed. Everything must be done according to plan."  
Several at the table nodded, but other's simply looked down, afraid to  
meet their commander's's stare. "This meeting is adjourned. You are  
dismissed." His black cape swishing behind him, the leader of the group  
abruptly turned from the table and walked away.  
  
The gathered members began to disperse, some going off by  
themselves, and some talking to each other in hushed tones as they left.  
  
The leader was on his way back to his chamber, when a voice  
from the shadows called to him. "Interesting group you got here."  
  
"I do not recall summoning you," the dark leige said. "You are  
not yet one of us."  
  
The figure in the shadows waved his hand dismissively. "A  
matter of time, that's all. You would do well to have me, as I could  
very well be your key to victory. Surely you've heard of my reputation."  
A lazy puff of smoke circled up from the shadows.  
  
"Indeed, I have," the leader conceeded. "Your loyalty and your  
worth will be ascertained soon enough. Now be gone. I do not have time  
for you." The dark figure that commanded the group turned and left, as  
abruptly as he had at the table.  
  
Behind him, a small hand reached out of the shadow and dumped  
the ashes from his pipe, before returning back into the darkness,  
chuckling to himself all the while.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Dormando managed to catch one of the others of the group  
immediately afterward, before he disappeared. His target was a well-  
built warrior with dark green and black armor, swirling with dragon  
designs, similar to the large sword hung from his belt. His black hair  
was combed back, though there were faded green streaks in it.  
  
The wizard pulled out a small crystal orb connected to a chain.  
"You are one of the most powerful among us, Drakon, and one of the  
orginial four. So by right, I give this to you."  
  
Drakon furrowed his brow. "What is that for?"  
  
The sorcerer smiled. "It's a masking orb. With it, you should  
be able to break into the Land of Wa and kill _Her_."  
  
"But our Liege hath decreed that such an attempt not be made!"  
  
Dormando chose his next words carefully. "Yes he has. And in  
doing so he has betrayed the Master. You know what happens when _She_  
dies. Our Liege just wants to hang onto his own power. But if you were  
to carry this mission out and return successfully, our true Master would  
return and reward you and..."  
  
"And I would be made the next Lord, instead of... him." Drakon  
eyed the orb and thought heavily, but Dormando knew the decision had  
already been made. "Very well. I owe my allegiance to the Master first,  
and our Liege second. I shall do this."  
  
The sorcerer place the amulet in the hands of his colleague and  
grinned evilly. "The orb has one other ability. If you are in need,  
throw it to the ground and break it and your true powers will return,  
but only for a short time."  
  
Drakon rolled the amulet in his palm. "Verily? Thou speaketh  
the truth?"  
  
Dormando nodded.  
  
"Then I shall be about my task." Drakon turned and strode away.  
  
"Good luck to you, my friend," the powerful sorcerer bid the  
departing warrior. "And good hunting!"  
  
  
  
---------------------------------  
  
Author's notes:  
  
I've also wondered where Mousse learned all of his tricks and fighting  
skills. He's a great fighter, and was able to beat Ranma a couple of  
times, coming closer than Ryoga in that respect. In fact, he also is  
shown to be great at battle tactics, being able to plan his fights ahead  
of time and come up with cunning strategies. His only real weakness  
seems to be his eyesight(without his glasses) and that he loves and  
trust Shampoo implicitly, and she takes merciless advantage of that. So  
yes, he IS stronger than Shampoo. He just doesn't want to hurt her, and  
Shampoo won't like anyone that can't prove their strength by clubbing  
her over the head and dragging her back to the cave like a neanderthal.  
  
So where does a male learn to become that powerful in a female dominated  
society? Especially one with poor eyesight that most likely was the butt  
of village jokes? 


	5. Chapter 5

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 5  
  
  
  
  
  
"He's gone again," Yuri remarked.  
  
"Big surprise," Kenji replied dryly. "It's impossible for him to  
stick around for more than ten minutes."  
  
Konatsu said nothing, but instead surveyed the area around him  
as they walked along, as if he was looking for something.  
  
"You won't find him if he doesn't want to be found, Konatsu-  
kun," Yuri said, when she noticed him looking around. She was referring  
to Satsu, who walked with them occaisonally, but also disappeared at  
times for unknown reasons.  
  
"That's not what worries me, Yuri-sama," he replied. "I just get  
the feeling... that we're being watched."  
  
Her brother shook his head. "You're just being paraniod. No one  
knows where we are." He laughed. "At least I was able to get Selah to  
stay at the Tendos."  
  
"But she did agree rather easily, niichan."  
  
Kenji shrugged. "At least she did."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Kurumi-chan, have you seen Selah around anywhere?"  
  
Kurumi looked up from her manga and shook her head. "Sorry,  
Kasumi-oneechan. I haven't seen her since yesterday."  
  
"Oh dear, I do hope she's all right."  
  
"If you want, I can go look for her," Natsume offered as she  
entered the living room., her rugbeater staff in hand. "I was just about  
to do some training around the neighborhood."  
  
Kasumi smiled. "That would be so nice of you, Natsume-chan."  
  
Natsume bowed to Kasumi, then turned to her younger sister.  
"Come on, Kurumi. You could use some extra training as well, before our  
next self-defense class in the dojo."  
  
The younger girl glanced back and forth between her older  
sister and her manga. "But, Naaatsuuumee! Mystical Girl Yoko is about to  
enter the evil queen's lair!"  
  
"No buts!"  
  
Kurumi huffed once, then slowly stood up, making sure her  
ribbon was in place on her head. "Oh, all right."  
  
For the past month, the two girls held a basic self-defense  
course twice a week. While technically it was being run by Soun, the  
girls did most of the teaching after he verified that they were  
competent. He still helped out from time to time, but it was mostly the  
girls that ran it.  
  
It was a small class, but it did help by bringing extra income  
into the home to pay for the extra food that was consumed, especially by  
the ravenous Kurumi, who was able to hold her own against Ranma and  
Genma in the table wars. Increasingly, Akane became active in those  
fights as well, since she had developed more of an appetite thanks to  
the increased training by her iinazuke. Ranma thought since it was one  
of the few training techniques that Genma used that was actually useful.  
  
In her spare time, Natsume, and sometimes Kurumi as well, also  
went out on `patrol'. It was mainly a training run, coupled with a  
desire to see how she could help. Whether it was stopping a mugger or  
assisting a passerby with packages, it seemed Natsume had a strong  
desire to prove herself worthy of her new family, by making herself as  
useful as possible.  
  
Today's run was mostly uneventful, but both girls did get a  
good workout. Interestingly enough, it was what waiting for them when  
they got home that was the most eventful. As they entered the front  
gate, they could hear Kasumi's voice carry from the rear one.  
  
"...sorry, neither Ranma nor Akane are here at the moment," she  
was saying. "And I'm afraid my father is out for the day with Saotome-  
san. If you would like to wait, I'm sure one of them will be along  
shortly to answer your challenge."  
  
Natsume stopped, causing her younger sister to bump into her.  
"Oneechan! what's the big deal?"  
  
"The Tendo dojo has a challenger!" she said exitedly.  
  
Kurumi couldn't see what the fuss was about. "Yeah, but you  
heard Kasumi-oneechan, no one's here to answer it."  
  
"But we're Tendos now," Natsume explained. "We're honor-bound to  
defend the family dojo and home. Come on!"  
  
With that, she leapt to the top of the house, and from there,  
down to the other side. Kurumi landed by her side a second later and  
they both approached the rear gate. Kasumi was blocking the view so they  
couldn't see the challenger, but to Natsume, it didn't matter. She would  
defeat whoever it was.  
  
An audible sigh could be heard from the other side, as well as  
a male voice. "So, how long would I have to wait, then?"  
  
"Pardon me, Kasumi-oneechan," Natsume interrupted. "But I would  
like to accept the challenge."  
  
Kasumi turned around, but Natsume still couldn't see who the  
challenger was, since the eldest Tendo sister was still blocking the  
view.  
  
"Oh my, that's awefully brave of you," Kasumi said. "Are you  
sure?"  
  
Natsume confidently nodded. "Yes." With the next line, her  
voice became louder. "I, Tendo Natsume, accept your challenge on behalf  
of the Tendo dojo! State your name!"  
  
The man's voice sounded unsure. "I, Kumon Ryu, am the  
challenger of this dojo!"  
  
Kasumi chose that moment to move out of the way, giving both  
the challenger and the accepter of that challenge, their first glimpses  
of each other. Both sets of eyes widened when they beheld the other.  
  
"YOU!"  
  
  
  
  
Akane had realized her mistake awhile ago, and could almost  
hear Ranma berating her about it in her mind. `It looks like you've done  
it again. Akane no baka. You and your temper.'  
  
"Shut up, Ranma," she said tiredly.  
  
She had lost track of the two men she had been pursuing and had  
managed to get lost in the darkened tunnels. Now she would just be happy  
to get out this place, find Ranma, and go home. That wasn't to say she  
wouldn't enjoy a little payback if she found one of those two men again,  
but it was no longer a priority on her list.  
  
"Why does this stuff always happen to me?" she asked no one in  
particular.  
  
She sat down against the wall and let the aura she had been  
using to light her way, fade away. Even though she didn't have a watch,  
she knew at least a couple of hours had passed since she was abducted  
and she was starting to feel tired and hungry. She could almost see the  
family sitting down to wonderfully tasty dinner made by her older  
sister. Visions of steamed rice, hot miso soup, exquisitely prepared  
sushi, and mouth-watering ten-don fill her head.  
  
"Stop that, Akane!" she told herself. "That's only going to make  
the situation worse!" She struggled back to her feet. "And if I don't  
get moving, I'll never get out of here." Concentrating, she slowly  
formed a white aura to light up the area and continued down the tunnel.  
  
She had taken no more than a few steps when a dull roar began  
to make it's way to her ears. Curious, she continued on, her pace  
picking up slightly.  
  
she wondered. Another minute of travel, and she  
finally formed a guess as to what it was.   
  
She began to jog down the tunnel, for the sound of the rushing  
water became louder as she did. Her fatigue and hunger pushed aside in  
the light of new hope, she failed to realize exactly where the sound was  
coming from; which was right underneath her.  
  
Akane gave a startled cry as the ground under her feet suddenly  
gave way. She plummeted about six feet, before splashing into the river  
she was trying to find. As she flailed about in the raging waters, she  
remembered there was still one thing she had been meaning to learn.  
  
She still didn't know how to swim.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are we almost there?" she asked.  
  
Satsu chuckled. "Almost. Conditions permitting, we should be  
there by late this evening."  
  
"This evening?" Selah glanced up at the noonday sun and exhaled  
loudly. "Why couldn't we just take a car or train or something?"  
  
"You're the one who wanted to come on this trip, and this is how  
we do things," Satsu replied as he watched the young girl from his perch  
on a branch. She trekked on the ground, stopping every once in awhile to  
adjust her backpack, while he preferred tree-hopping.  
  
He had discovered her following them shortly after they left  
and confronted her about it. Naturally, he had wanted her to turn around  
and go back, but she was adamant and he wasn't about to use force to  
stop her. So, he checked up on her occaisonally to see if she was ready  
to give up. Amazingly, she seemed pretty used to travel and was showing  
no real signs of quitting.  
  
Of course, this left Satsu with something of a dilemma.  
Outsiders weren't allowed on the Garou clan grounds, so her trip would  
be useless. On the other hand, she seemed to show a strong spirit. And  
most importantly, she was a water mage.  
  
The clan had long ago lost contact with with the other groups  
it had been allied with after the great war as each one went off to do  
their own thing, not caring about the other groups. Despite their recent  
near-destruction, the mage clans still existed, though scattered and few  
in number. Satsu was beginning to think this girl could be the key to  
reforging a link with the mage clans, and to help bring them back  
together. There was more gut feeling than actual evidence to suggest  
this, however, so it was more than likely the rest of clan Garou would  
not agree with him.  
  
But in the meantime, he could at least help guide her and make  
sure she was alright.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Uncle Yoshiro!"  
  
"Ukyo-chan!"  
  
The big man swept the young girl into a hug. Despite having  
been gone for six years, Ukyo still recognized her father's brother and,  
apparently, he recognized her. She could feel the quiet strength behind  
those arms, that spoke of many years on the road pulling his own yatai.  
And his graying mustache scratched at her head and made her want to pull  
away, but she held the hug a few more moments.  
  
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet you at the train station,"  
Yoshiro said when he released Ukyo. "But your father has requested I  
stay here at the house with him."  
  
The young chef stepped back to gaze at the house her father had  
eventually been able to buy. It was white and large, not quite a mansion  
in size, but close. She had heard rumors through some of the friends and  
family members she kept in contact with, that her father was able to  
turn his luck around when Ukyo left and make some real money. For her  
part, Ukyo didn't know how she felt about it.  
  
"Well, you're probably exhausted from your trip," her uncle  
said, while guiding her into the house. "Why don't you take bath and  
relax now, hmmm?"  
  
Ukyo's face hardened, even while she removed her shoes. "I'd  
rather see my father now, if you don't mind."  
  
Yoshiro tried to laugh it off. "Oh, come now. You want to look  
the best for your father, don't you? He'll wait an hour for you to  
freshen up."  
  
"No!" Ukyo's command was forceful. "My father's never thought  
much of before, why should now matter? I haven't seen or heard from him  
for eight years and now he `summons' me all of a sudden?" She shook her  
head. "No, I want to see him now."  
  
Her uncle sighed heavily, and placed a heavy hand on her  
shoulder. "Very well. But, please, go easy on him, he doesn't have  
long."  
  
They walked in silence as he lead her down the hall. On the  
walls, many pictures hung, portraits of past family members long dead.  
Ukyo wondered where they had come from, then the answer came to her;  
they were her grandfather's. Her father must have inherited them when  
his own father passed away.  
  
She suddenly realized her uncle had stopped, so she fell in  
place beside him at the bedroom door. He turned to her then, nodded  
slowly once, and walked away. Ukyo understood; this was the room her  
father was in.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Ukyo slowly slid open the shoji panel and  
stepped inside.  
  
  
  
  
  
It had taken Ranma longer than he thought to break through the  
one ton boulder and chase after Akane. He was almost regretting the  
choice not to learn the Bakusai Tenketsu, as it would have taken a  
single finger tap and he would have been through. Instead, it had taken  
almost ten minutes.  
  
Now, he was worridly jogging down the tunnel, looking for his  
wayward iinazuke. The more he devled into the tunnel depths of the cave,  
the bigger his worry had grown, because the path split several times. He  
could only hope he was going the right way.  
  
Like a mantra, a single phrase repeated itself over and over  
again in his head.   
  
His pace continued to increase as he moved in the direction he  
hoped Akane was in, and it wasn't long before his fast walk became a  
full-out sprint. And it wasn't long after that before he too began to  
hear the dull roar of the underground river, but he didn't pay any real  
attention to it.  
  
"Akane, when I catch up to you, I-"  
  
That's when he heard the scream, and it came from a voice he  
would recognize anywhere.  
  
And the splash.  
  
"Akane!" But he received no answer to his call.  
  
Ranma let his aura flow out ahead of him, and he could almost  
feel Akane's brush with it for a split second. Then it was gone, and  
Ranma's worry only grew. When he reached hole in the ground that led to  
the underground river, there was no hesitation; he knew Akane was down  
there. Taking a short breath, he jumped.  
  
The water was colder than he, now she, expected, but onna-Ranma  
was used to it. One good thing about her father's training, it included  
all types of terrain and conditions, something she had been hesitant  
about doing to Akane.  
  
Breaking the surface of the fast moving river, Ranma called out  
for Akane again, and was rewarded with a frightened cry from the dark-  
haired girl. That meant her head was still above water, but Ranma knew  
that wouldn't last long.  
  
Taking another free breath as the river dragged her along,  
Ranma began to swim with powerful strokes downstream, and silently began  
to curse her curse. Her shorter arms and legs were making it harder to  
control her swimming, and she wasn't moving as fast as she would've  
liked. She could only hope she caught up to Akane in time.  
  
She broke the surface of the water once again, her aura  
lighting up the darkness and stretching out, in an attempt to locate  
Akane. She couldn't see her, but her aura did detect Akane's, though it  
was weak. She didn't have much time.  
  
All this took a split second, then Ranma dove back into the  
muddy waters and began to swim with all her might. A few more strokes,  
and she was rewarded with body contact. But as Ranma grabbed her  
iinazuke, she realized Akane wasn't moving.  
  
Shifting Akane's body on top of hers, Ranma began to backfloat  
in an effort to keep Akane's head above water.  
  
"Akane!" her feminine voice called. "Wake up!" I can't keep  
this up! If she doesn't wake up soon...  
  
Then Ranma recalled something in one of his classes at school.  
Something called CPR, and giving mouth-to-mouth to unconcious people. He  
hadn't paid much attention to it, because one of his classmates had  
suggested Ranma try it out on Akane, which of course had been countered  
by fierce denial.  
  
But floating in this cold, muddy river, and with her strength  
dwindling, Ranma couldn't think of any other options. Taking another deep breath, Ranma placed  
his mouth over Akane's and exhaled. When he got no response, he tried it  
again. On the third try, she was reward when Akane began to cough up  
water.  
  
"Ra-Ranma?" she croaked. "How-?"  
  
Ranma once again lit up the pitch blackness with his aura and  
spied a suitable shore, but despaired when she realized she wouldn't be  
able to reach it.   
  
"Get out of here, Akane!"  
  
Akane was confused. "What-?"  
  
"No time to explain!"  
  
Akane suddenly found herself flying through the air with a hard  
toss from Ranma. Dry ground was fast approaching and, despite being  
weak, her instincts kicked in enough to tuck and roll as she landed.  
Immediately she turned back to the river, where a red-headed girl was  
still lighting up the area with her aura.  
  
"Ranma, look out!" she cried weakly, but it was too late.  
  
Still too weak to move, Akane was helpless to watch as the back  
of Ranma's head collided with a low hanging stalagtite. Then she  
continued to watch, horrified, as the red-head dropped beneath the  
waters and the aura winked out, returning the scene to darkness.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The room was dark, but there was enough light from the two  
candles at the opposite corners to see. Her father lay in a futon on the  
floor. At first, Ukyo thought he was already dead, but then she realxed  
when she saw the rythmic rise and fall of his chest. For several  
minutes, she just stood there and watched.  
  
There was a whole list of things she had planned to say to her  
father, but now that she was actually here, the words wouldn't come to  
her. All she could was watch.  
  
she said to herself.   
  
"Daughter..." came the low, almost raspy voice from the man in  
the futon.  
  
Ukyo started, since she couldn't remember her father ever  
calling her that. "Father?"  
  
"Come here." It was more like a command than a request, but Ukyo  
went along with it and knelt by her father's bed. His head turned to  
look at her, and the Ukyo felt the familiar feeling of being studied and  
found wanting. "You came."  
  
Ukyo bit back the anger. "Of course I came at your summons. I  
am your daughter!"  
  
"Of course." He turned his head back to gaze at the ceiling and  
his eyes closed. "I did not have a son."  
  
The fury came back again, but Ukyo once again got control of it  
before it could get out. she told herself.   
  
The Kuonji patriarch's eyes opened again. "I will be... gone,  
soon. You will have to take over the family business here. I have  
arranged everything. My assistant, Kanzaka, will help you. I-"  
  
Ukyo couldn't take it anymore. "Enough! You, you, you! It's  
always been about you!" She shot to her feet, while her father stared  
wide-eyed at her.  
  
"I am your father, you will do as I wish."  
  
"No!" Ukyo retorted. "Not anymore! You all but abandoned me ten  
years ago! Face it, you never wanted a daughter, you wanted a son. When  
mom..." She paused, then continued in a softer voice. "When mom died  
during my birth, you blamed me for it."  
  
"That's not true," her father countered.  
  
"Then why did you try to get rid of me!? Almost like you were  
ashamed of me. Well, I'd got news for you `Dad', I've started my own  
life, and I'm not giving it up!"  
  
His eyes almost become pleading. "Ukyo..."  
  
"No, I'm doing what I want!" She began to back up. "Get someone  
else!"  
  
And with that she ran out of the room, never looking back.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was several hours later when the exhausted trio finally  
entered the clan encampment.  
  
"It's so good to see you again, Neko-chan," Yuri said as she  
embraced her friend.  
  
"We've missed you, too, Yuri-chan," Neko replied. She released  
Yuri and gave a short bow to her brother. "It is also good to see you  
again, Kenji-san."  
  
"Likewise," Kenji said, returing the bow. "Though we have still  
yet to be told why we were summoned back." He was still uneasy about the  
whole thing, but he kept it inside. Truth be told, though, he'd rather  
be back in Nerima.  
  
"You can rest assured Oka-sensei will explain everything."  
Finally, Neko turned to the last member. "Greetings. I am Neko of Garou  
clan."  
  
"Kenzen Konatsu," he replied, giving a generous bow. "And I, as  
yet, belong to no clan."  
  
"For the moment, but hopefully that will change," Oka stated as  
she approached the small group. Then she took the effeminate manner  
Konatsu was standing, as well as his pony tail tied with a pink ribbon,  
hint of mascara, and added under her breath, "Among other things."  
  
Kenji let loose an exasperated exhale. "So, are you going to  
tell us what this is all about now?" A full day of travel had shortened  
his patience and energy, and left him cranky.  
  
Oka eyed him critically. "Impatient young man, just like Satsu  
said." She sighed. "Very well, if you must know, then come with me.  
We'll talk on the way."  
  
"Where are we going?" Yuri asked as the quintet began to walk.  
  
Oka's face hardened, betraying no details. "You'll see soon  
enough. It's only a short distance away. We will be holding a general  
meeting about it tomorrow night, as you are not the only ones we were  
waiting for. There a quite a few ninja on assignment at the moment."  
  
Kenji inwardly shivered, whether from the cold breeze that had  
just made itself known, or from Oka's casual statement. He knew, from  
hearing his sister talk, what those missions were. Basically, they were  
hired to perform various tasks, from sabotage and espionage, to  
assassinations. Of course, he didn't take Yuri's word that the clan  
never kills someone without a group consultation to see if the subject's  
death is warranted.  
  
He had been confronted with his own death and been forced to  
kill once already. After his memories had returned, the nightmares had  
started as well. In it, he relieved the battle with Garon, the Fire  
Lord, and the final act that ended that battle. At first he couldn't  
believe that's what actually happened, that the nightmares were just  
some sort of last minute spell cast by Garon.  
  
But as they continued, he was forced to accept the horrible  
truth that he had killed. How or why it had happened, he didn't know,  
but somehow it had happened. It was something he had never shared with  
anyone, preferring to deal with it himself.  
  
"Here it is." Oka's voice broke Kenji out of his introspection.  
  
Three people blinked in unison.  
  
"It's a cave," Yuri observed.  
  
"It's a dirt mound with a hole in it," Kenji said dryly.  
  
"It's a perfectly fine underground entrance, Oka-sama," Konatsu  
offered.  
  
Oka sighed and Neko shook her head.  
  
"Use your senses," Oka suggested. "What do you hear?"  
  
"Nothing," Kenji replied, not impressed. Actually, the truth was  
he thought he did hear something, but when it seemed no one else did, he  
decided it must have been his imagination. "So what?"  
  
Konatsu was the first to realize it. "But, Kenji-sama, where  
are the animals?"  
  
It was true, they all realized. The forest surrounding the dirt  
mound was deathly quiet. Not even the chirp of a cricket, or the call of  
a bird. Not only that, but the entire area just seemed darker than  
normal and there was a scattering of mist in the air, limiting  
visibility.  
  
Yuri was perplexed. "When did this happen? And what does it  
mean?"  
  
For several minutes, there was silence. Then, when Oka spoke,  
her tone was very solemn, her eyes locked on the mound.  
  
"It is a portent of things to come, other than that, we don't  
know." She sighed heavily. "Much of our knowledge has been lost over the  
years, as the books and manuscripts we owned began to fall apart and  
fade. The few we were able to save told us that the earth would open,  
and one of the ancient ones would ascend to walk among us once more.  
That is all we know at the moment." She turned to face the quartet  
behind her.  
  
Yuri cocked her head. "So that's why you called us here? To  
discuss this?"  
  
Oka nodded, but it was Neko who spoke next. "Yes. Some in the  
clan say we should just cover it up, and some say we shouldn't because  
it might bring even worse things upon us." She smirked. "And then there  
are the few who just want to go down and explore it."  
  
The sound repeated itself in Kenji's ear, and again he shook it  
off. But his curiosity grew. "Well why don't you? Doesn't look like much  
to be scared of."  
  
He suddenly found Oka's walking stick pointed straight at him.  
"Don't be so impetuous, boy." Her voice was suddenly cold. "There are  
more things involved here then you can possibly understand."  
  
A small hand rested on his shoulder. "Yeah, niichan. There's no  
need to rush, is there?"  
  
Despite being somewhat shaken by her comments, Kenji yawned.  
"Whatever. I'm feeling tired anyway, so if it's alright with you guys,  
I'm gonna go back and take a nap."  
  
"A most wise idea, Kenji-sama," Konatsu added, trying to stifle  
a yawn in a feminine manner.  
  
Yuri smiled and grabbed Konatsu's arm. "Come on, `Natsu-chan."  
  
As the quintet walked away, Kenji spared a short glance over  
his shoulder. The noise had sounded a third time, and now he knew what  
it was, though he didn't want to believe it.  
  
It was a voice.  
  
  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Much is made of Genma's side of the engagement of Ranma to Ukyo, and his  
subsequent theft of the yatai. I took a look at it from the other side,  
however. Ukyo's father seemed overly casual about engaging the two kids,  
despite it seeming that he didn't know Genma all that well(or if he knew  
Genma well, he should have known what kind of man he was). Engagements  
are also rare at that age. Also, when Genma revealed that Ranma was  
already promised to another, Mister Kuonji should have stopped the idea  
right there. Instead, he offered the yatai and made no move to stop  
Genma from taking both it and his daughter. He also seemingly made no  
move to get revenge on on Genma's betrayal, leading to the conclusion  
that he wanted to get rid of his daughter.  
  
However bad you must think of Genma for his part, Mister Kuonji should  
share equal blame. If Ukyo was mad at Ranma's father and carried that  
anger for ten years, she should also hold SOME of that for her own  
father as well.  
  
It's also worth noting that Ukyo held that anger for ten years, far  
longer than Ryoga held his and we see how he angry and unrational he  
tends to be. That sort of hate and malice does NOT go away in the blink  
of an eye when Ranma called her `cute.' She still has plenty of anger  
simmering underneath that cute, peaceful facade she displays, and it  
emerges from time to time with disastrous results. 


	6. Chapter 6

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 6  
  
  
  
  
  
"What are YOU doing here!?"  
  
"I could ask you the same thing!" Natsume retorted.  
  
Kasumi smiled. "I take it you know Kumon-san, then?"  
  
Natsume crossed her arms over her chest as her eyes narrowed.  
"Yes, though I wish I could say otherwise." Her gaze locked with Ryu's.  
"This lowlife tried to beat up my sister."  
  
"She stole my food!" Ryu returned. "I worked for that meal and  
she comes out of nowhere and steals it!"  
  
Kurumi toed the ground with her hands folded behind her back,  
her voice extremely apologetic. "I said I was sorry..."  
  
Ryu wasn't impressed. "And I said you would pay me back!"  
  
"And I said to leave her alone!" Natsume growled, loudly.  
  
"Would you like to come in for some tea, Kumon-san?" Kasumi  
offered with a disarming smile. "Then we can all have a chance to catch  
up and tell each other our stories."  
  
The comment had the effect of catching all three teenagers off-  
guard.  
  
Contrary to popular belief, Kasumi wasn't totally oblivious to  
all the conflict that tended to happen around the dojo. Instead, it was  
more of a belief in creating harmony that drove her actions and  
attitudes, as well as belief in using the right tools. After all, the  
proper method for cleaning a dirty floor is to sweep with a broom, not  
heap more dirt upon it.  
  
"Uhhh..." Ryu answered intelligently. Then his brain caught up  
and realized it would be rude to decline such an offer. "I guess... that  
would be nice."  
  
Kasumi clapped both hands together, as if she had just heard  
that world peace and been achieved. "Wonderful! Girls, would you assist  
me in making tea in the kitchen?"  
  
"Yes, Kasumi-oneechan, I'd love, too!" Kurumi answered with a  
smile. The only thing she liked more than eating food, was making it.  
  
Natsume was not quite as enthusiastic, but complied,  
nonetheless.  
  
Kasumi turned back to the reluctant Ryu. "Won't you please come  
in, Kumon-san, and we'll have a loevely time!" Caught off guard, he  
could only nod, and the quartet started the quiet walk into the house.  
  
Thus, the harmony of the Tendo Dojo was maintained.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kenji continued to toss and turn in his futon. He had only been  
able to get a few hours sleep, due to what had happened back at the cave  
mound; or more accurately, what he had heard. No matter what he tried,  
he couldn't get the image of the dirt cave out of his mind, nor the  
voice that had called to him.  
  
With that thought, he bolted upright. he thought  
suddenly. He stopped to think about it  
some more, and came to a startling conclusion.   
  
Slowly he pulled the blanket off his sweat-covered body and  
stood up. Since he was only wearing his boxers and tank-top, the cool  
night air gave him a chill where it touched his bare skin, but he  
welcomed it.  
  
Careful not to wake Konatsu, he tip-toed to the window of their  
cabin and opened the shutters slightly, gazing into the darkness of the  
night. He knew they were out there somewhere, both the cave and that  
voice that had called to him.  
  
"But what do I do about it?" he whispered quietly. Despite  
asking the question, he already knew the answer.  
  
Sighing in frustration, he made the decision and dressed as  
quickly and as silently as possible in his grey padded bodysuirt. He  
made sure all of his weapons were in place, wanting to be ready for  
anything. The head covering was left off however, since he never really  
cared for it; it just seemed so stifling.  
  
Kenji walked to the cave in a roundabout way, using an  
unorthadox route to avoid the clan patrols, not wanting to them know  
where he was going. But when he left the grounds and entered the forest,  
his pace picked up and his path became a straight line. It didn't take  
him long and soon the darkened, misty entrance to the mound was layed  
out in front of him.  
  
The voice again whispered to him.  
  
"Why me?" he asked, exasperated. "Why are you doing this to me?"  
  
His answer was only more incoherent whispers.  
  
Growing angry at all the unknowns, he started for the entrance.  
  
  
A spoken voice stopped him at the entrance. "Kenji-sama, what  
are you doing?" Konatsu's tone was more than a little worried.  
  
He sighed. "What does it look like, Kenzen?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
Kenji didn't want to give the real reason, because that would  
mean telling him about the voices. "Because I want to, alright! I couldn't sleep and I wanted to  
know what was down here."  
  
Konastu seemed to realize there would be no stopping the other  
boy. "Then I will come with you. Yuri-sama would not want you to face  
this alone."  
  
"No!" The command stopped the cross-dressing ninja. "I'm doing  
this by myself." Kenji turned his back on Konatsu, gazing long into the  
darkness of the cave. "Go back to sleep, Kenzen. I'll see you in the  
morning."  
  
And with that, Kenji entered the cave.  
  
"Kenji-sama!" To Konatsu's eyes, the darkness appeared to  
swallow up Kenji. He rushed to the entrance and tried to follow, but  
just as he was about to step foot inside, he struck some kind of barrier  
and was repelled backwards onto his butt.  
  
The earth began to tremble slightly, and several geysers of  
steam shot up from the ground. "Go away little freak ninja. I already  
have a volunteer."  
  
Konatsu blinked, then quickly regained his feet. "Who are you? What do you want?" But there was no reply,  
and all the activity in the area ceased, returning the land to the quiet  
state it was in before.   
  
Knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment, Konatsu  
sprinted rapidly back to the clan grounds.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh my! Has it gotten dark already?"  
  
True to her nature, Kasumi had kept the trio talking and  
drinking tea for several hours. It hadn't reduced the tension level  
much, but it did keep any fights from breaking out.  
  
Ryu cursed when he saw the darkness outside. "Shoot! I wasted  
so much time in here, I forgot about the challenge!"  
  
"Does that mean you won't challenge the dojo?" Natsume asked.  
  
"Not on your life, missy!" he retorted. "I originally wanted to  
face Saotome again, that's what I came here for. I'll just come back  
tomorrow when he's here and challenge him."  
  
"Why not us!?" Natsume demananded to know. "We are officially  
Tendo's now, so we have the right to accept the challenge."  
  
Ryu stood up. "I don't fight little girls!"  
  
"Little girls!?"  
  
He ignored her, however, and turned back to Kasumi, giving her  
a short bow. "Thank you for your hospitality, Kasumi-san. I regret that  
I must leave you now, but I'll return tomorrow. Hopefully, Saotome will  
have returned by then and I can challenge him."  
  
"It was good of you to drop by, Kumon-san," Kasumi said as she  
guided him to the door.  
  
"Please, call me Ryu."  
  
"Very well, I look forward to seeing you again, Ryu-san."  
  
"As do I."  
  
In the living room, Natsume fumed. "The nerve of that--boy!"  
  
"Natsume..?" Kurumi asked.  
  
"Calling us little girls, like that disqualifies us from  
fighting!"  
  
Kurumi tried again. "Uh, Nastume?"  
  
"But I'll show him! I'll--"  
  
The new youngest Tendo took a deep breath. "Natsume!"  
  
"What!?" Natsume suddenly realized her voice had risen in volume  
and that she had just shouted at her younger sister. She took a deep  
breath. "Sorry about that, imouto-chan. Now what was it you wanted?"  
  
Kurumi happily lifted up a half-empty plate on the table. "Can  
I have another cookie?"  
  
Natsume face-faulted.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kenji thought to himself.   
  
His eyes had long ago adjusted to the dark, a little trick  
Satsu had taught him as part of the clan's training. There wasn't much  
to take notice of though, except for the fact that the cave continued to  
head down. Well, he did notice that the air was quite humid and cold, so  
he was thankful that his bodysuit provided enough protection from it.  
  
"Hello?" he called out again. "I'm here you stupid voice!" He  
sighed when he got no response, and debated heading back the way he  
came.  
  
"...dee... per..."  
  
Kenji stopped. "Hello?"  
  
"...go...dee...per..." The voice was faint, but it was  
definitely louder and more understandable then it was on the surface.  
And it was almost... alluring.  
  
"How much deeper?" he asked. No response.  
  
Growling in frustration, he continued to head down the pitch  
black passageway.   
  
Without realizing it, his mood slowly became darker, and his  
temperment slowly changed to anger as he descended into the earth. In no  
time at all, he was practically stomping down the tunnel, muttering  
obscenities about everyone and everything.  
  
He punctuated that  
thought by punching the earthen wall beside him.  
  
  
  
Kenji stopped suddenly as images of Garon's death filled his  
mind. With that, came the feelings of guilt, shame, and fear at what  
he'd done, overriding the feelings of hate.  
  
He clenched his eyes shut while grabbing his head and forcing  
the anger down. Slowly, his harsh breathing evened out and a relative  
feeling of calm returned. He still felt more than a little upset, but  
was at a loss to explain why.  
  
"What's wrong with me!? A minute ago I wanted to kill almost  
everybody!"  
  
He glanced warily around the cave, then realized he had just  
stopped short of walking off a cliff. The pathway ended right in front  
of him, and looking over the edge revealed no bottom.  
  
"You're almost there, young man," the female voice returned.  
"Continue on the path."  
  
"Hold on! The path ends right here! I ain't walking off a  
cliff." Kenji suddenly became wary. "In fact, this whole thing is messed  
up. I'm leaving." He turned around and prepared to walk away.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," the voice told him in a  
tone that said in would broker no argument.  
  
"And just how are you going to stop me when you're too cowardly  
to show yourself?" he taunted.  
  
"Little boys should be careful of whom they mock."  
  
Before Kenji could ponder that statement, the ground began to  
shake violently. As the tremors became worse, he started to have trouble  
staying on his feet. He tried to grab something to hold onto, but there  
was nothing.  
  
Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath him. He tried to form the  
air shell, but a loose rock struck the back of his head, and he tumbled  
uncontrollably into the dark abyss.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"The fool!" Oka groused.  
  
"I can't believe `niichan went in there," Yuri whispered, while  
she shook off the effect of the tremors that just ended. "Why, Konatsu?  
  
The male kunoichi shook his head. "I do not know, but I saw him  
go in myself."  
  
All around the cave mound, the majority of Garou clan stood. In  
all, it numbered about twenty ninja and an equal number of dependents,  
though not everyone was present.  
  
"This is your fault, Oka," a man in black ninja garb accused.  
"You sent Satsu to train these outsiders. We should never have let them  
in."  
  
Oka raised an eyebrow. "Are you forgetting that Sulyia, their  
mother, was an honored member of this clan, Kazao?"  
  
"In fact, as I recall," Kazao replied, taking a step foreward.  
"She abandoned this clan to be with that... sorcerer." He spat out the  
word `sorcerer', as if it was something vile.  
  
"Yes, a skilled sorcerer of the mage clans," Oka corrected. "Who  
used to be valued allies of this clan."  
  
"Used to be, until they went berserk," Kazao amended. He smiled  
evilly.  
  
Yuri shivered involuntary. There were rumors that Kazao had  
changed after his first kill. Where as most of the clan had accepted the  
necessity of it at times, Kazao seemed to revel in it. All knew of his  
desire to lead the clan his own way, which led to many clashes with Oka  
over clan policy.  
  
"And they will be allies again." The old matriarch of the clan  
sighed. "This is getting us nowhere and the situation is already  
serious. Someone has descended into the cave and now a barrier locks us  
out.  
  
"So, what do we do, sensei?" Neko asked. "Is there nothing we  
can do for Kenji-san?"  
  
Oka's face was grim. "I'm afraid he's on his own."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Uhhhh..." Kenji groaned, as he tried to pick himself off the  
floor. He dragged himself into a sitting position against the wall and  
tried to assess his injuries. He winced as he touched his forehead, and  
sighed as his hand came away with blood on it.   
  
He sighed again and had a look around his surroundings. It was  
still pitch black, but his eyes were fast adjusting to it. It was a  
stone pit of some kind, about twelve feet across and circular in  
diameter. He was just thinking he was alone, when he spied the body.  
  
"Ahh!" He jumped straight up in fright and instantly regretted  
it as his leg gave out. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"  
  
He landed back on his butt while staring at the body, giving a  
sigh of relief when he realized it was dead. It wasn't completely  
decomposed; in fact, it was nearly intact, though there was no hair and  
the face was so featureless as to be unrecognizable.  
  
"Well that's comforting," he said at last. "If you died because  
you were stuck here, what does that say for me?"  
  
"I can get you out."  
  
Kenji groaned again. "Not you. What do you want from me,  
lady!?"  
  
"Who says I want anything?"  
  
"You lure me down here, then shake me right off a cliff!" he  
yelled into the darkness. "Was that just for kicks!?"  
  
There was a short chuckle. "You're right, I do want something.  
But I have it now."  
  
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Inwardly, Kenji was becoming more and  
more shaken, especially since he suspected her answer.  
  
"You."  
  
"So you got me," he tried to say with false bravado, but inside  
he was very, very scared. "I'm trapped in a hole deep under the earth.  
I'll be dead in a few days when I dehydrate. Ha ha. You won."  
  
"You don't understand," she said.  
  
A fine, white mist spiralled down into the deep hole. It glowed  
dully, lighting up the area. Kenji instintively backed away from it, but  
it didn't approach him. Instead, the cloud stopped in the center of the  
hole, while it slowly formed a female face. Still no details could be  
seen, but Kenji at least had a face to put to the voice.  
  
"Understand what?" Kenji asked, while trying to think of a way  
out, but nothing came to him.  
  
"I already have... you." The face began to move backwards to the  
body, stopping to hover right above it. "Now I just need... control."  
  
While Kenji furrowed his brow in puzzlement, the dead body  
suddenly became animated, springing up from it's postion on the floor to  
attack. Kenji screamed in utter terror, while his body took over.  
  
Instinctively, he sprang up on his good leg and whipped out his  
wakizashu. As the body grabbed him by the shoulders, he thrust the blade  
into it's stomach and pushed it away, screaming all the while.  
  
The voice just laughed at him, while the body pulled out the  
blade and tossed it away. "If you won't give me control... I'll simply  
take it from you!"  
  
As the body charged him again, the cloud of mist moved toward  
him as well. When Kenji covered his face with his hands and screamed,  
the mist broke up and entered his mouth. Immediately, his own body went  
slack while the dead body dropped to the floor.  
  
  
  
  
  
Outside his mind and in the real world, Kenji's actual body  
floated horizontally in mid-air. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he  
smiled.  
  
Then laughed. "I did it! Ha ha ha ha ha!"  
  
Kenji's body oriented vertically and accelerated, flying  
upwards, as the laughter continued to echo throughout the cavern.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Something's coming!"  
  
Yuri looked up from where she was sitting. It had been several  
hours since Konatsu had brought word that her brother had entered the  
cave. Some sort of barrier had sprung up over the entrance since then,  
preventing all attempts at entry. Now, someone had just yelled a warning  
that something was emerging.  
  
She immediately leapt to her feet, hope on her face, and  
Konatsu by her side. "Is it Kenji?"  
  
"We don't know child, but I do sense something coming," Oka told  
her.   
  
The gathered clan collectively watched the entrance to the  
mound, as if their will could bring forth the source of a sound  
eminating from inside. It was a rythmic *thomp* *thomp* *thomp*, and it  
grew louder with each passing moment.  
  
Before long, a leg emerged from the darkness, followed by the  
rest of the body.  
  
"KENJI!" Yuri practically flew towards the cave entrance and her  
brother. She immediately embraced him, her arms tightening around his  
midsection. "Where have you been? I thought I'd lost you again! We were  
worried about you!"  
  
When she didn't receive any reply from her brother, she let go  
and beheld his face with the dried blood on his forehead.  
  
She inhaled sharply. "Kenji, what happened?"  
  
His eyes seemed to glance around the clearing before he  
responded. "Sorry... had... accident." After which, his eyes rolled up  
into his head and he collapsed in his sister's arms.  
  
"Kenji?! Somebody help me!"  
  
Instantly, Konatsu and Neko were there, helping her with her  
brother. Together, they began to carry him back to camp.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Satsu awoke, cursing himself for falling asleep in the first  
place. At his age, he needed very little sleep, though it had been  
almost 48 hours since his last nap. Most of his time had been spent  
observing the young water mage and contemplating from the branches above  
her. Now, she was asleep in her sleeping bag, next to a fire that had  
long ago burned itself out and was only emitting a dull red glow.  
  
Then his brow furrowed, as he contemplated the strange feeling  
that had awoken him. Something wasn't quite right, though he was at a  
loss to explain what. All he knew was that there was some pressing  
concern, and he should head back to the clan grounds immediately.  
  
He traversed to the ground with a short hop and began to shake  
the girl. "Wake up!"  
  
Selah moaned and rolled onto her back. "'Nother five  
minutes..."  
  
Satsu exhaled, then bonked her on the head with his staff.  
Immediately, she was awake, rubbing her head, and complaining.  
  
"What'd you do that for!?" she yelled, scowling at him.  
  
"No time to explain," he said quickly. "But there is something  
dangerous out there and we must move quickly."  
  
"Does it concern Kenji-chan?" she asked worridly.  
  
"Could be, but we should get moving just to be sure. Just leave  
everything here, as we'll come back for it."  
  
Selah nodded and, after taking a few minutes to straighten  
herself out, the pair departed for the clan grounds.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I said I understand your concerns," Oka was saying, "I didn't  
say I agree with them."  
  
"We don't know what happened to him down there!" Kazao shouted,  
frustrated after trying to argue his point of view for the past 30  
minutes. "We would cut our risk I we just kill him now. What's one life  
compared 40?"  
  
"We haven't established that he's a threat yet," Oka countered.  
"Until then, we give him the benefit of the doubt."  
  
Kazao threw up his hands and turned to leave. "Fine. But the  
manuscripts hint that what comes up from there isn't a good thing. So  
when your boy kills someone, don't come crying to me." There was some  
mumbling in the gathered conclave as Kazao turned and left, taking  
several ninja with him.  
  
"We've always decided things as a clan," Oka said, raising her  
voice to be heard over the mumbling. "But on this issue I stand firm.  
We've never taken a life without just cause before, and I don't believe  
enough just cause exists now." There was some head nodding in the  
audience, but the old leader of the clan was distressed to see more than  
a few shaking their head.  
  
She sighed heavily. "Either way, we won't accomplish much else  
tonight. I suggest we adjourn until tomorrow." There was much head  
nodding to that, as most wanted a good night's sleep, after having  
their's interrupted. The conclave began to disperse.  
  
Oka walked off to one of the smaller cabins, where Yuri and  
Konatsu were tending to the unconcious Kenji, who was laying on the  
futon on the floor. He had passed out right after exiting the cave and  
had failed to awaken, though he was alive.  
  
"Any change?" Oka asked, even though she knew the answer.  
  
"None," said Yuri solemnly. The old woman could see how  
distressing the ordeal was for the girl.  
  
"Why don't you got get some rest, child," she suggested. "I'll  
tend to him for awhile."  
  
"But-?"  
  
"No, please listen to her, Yuri-sama," Konatsu said. "We could  
both use rest."  
  
Yuri glanced back and forth between the two, but knew she was  
outmatched and was too tired to argue. "Very well."  
  
Konatsu helped her up and the two walked through the door and  
back to their own cabin. Oka turned and knelt by the unconcious youth,  
dabbing his head with a wet washrag.  
  
"What happened to you down there, hmm?" she asked, expecting no  
reply.  
  
But she did get one.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know, old woman?" Kenji responded, but Oka  
realized the tone was not his.  
  
Her hand froze. "Who are you? What have you done with Kenji?"  
  
`Kenji' smiled and opened his eyes. "He's... taken care of." He  
slowly stood up. "As for who I am, surely you don't recognize one of  
your own ancestral members?"  
  
"No..." Oka whispered in awe "You can't be... Then the legends  
are true."  
  
"Indeed, it's been several lifetimes since I was imprisoned."  
Kenji's body made several stretches, as if working out the kinks. "But  
now I am free, and have this body to use to get my revenge!"  
  
"No!" the old woman protested. "You can't! That's not your body,  
and you'll never succeed alone!" Oka brought her gnarled old walking  
staff up, even as her face hardened. "I won't let you."  
  
Kenji gave a short laugh. "You think you can stop me, old  
woman? What right have you!?" His voice began to rise. "They imprisoned  
me for almost a thousand years! And you would deprive me of my  
vengeance!?"  
  
Kenji's body blurred, and Oka parried the strike he tried to  
inflict with the wakizashu. To it's credit, the old staff held against  
the sharpened blade, but barely. Still she felt a cool sensation on her  
wrist, even as `Kenji' back away with a grim smile on his face.  
  
"I'm not stupid, old woman," he said, bringing out a small patch  
of brown moss and showing it to her. "This moss was the only thing  
growing in the cave. It's highly posionous, so I took the liberty of  
picking some. Then it was a simple matter to crush them and smear the  
powder on my blade." He put the leaves back, and brought out the second  
wakizashu, which was slightly longer then Kenji's and with a few more  
curves "This was my blade, that was kept on my body after I was  
imprisoned. And it shall be this blade that gives me my revenge!"  
  
Oka had felt her strength immediately start to wane. She  
collapsed to her knees, then onto her back as the posion rapidly worked  
through her body. She tried to fight it, but it was no use. "Don't...  
Kae.." she managed weakly.  
  
"Don't struggle, it will only make it worse." Oka heard the  
window open. "But take heart knowing that those of the dark will be  
joining you in the afterlife soon."  
  
Then Oka knew `she' was gone. I never thought my end would  
come like this. Though, what does one expect their end to be?  
  
Then, thinking was impossible as Oka grew sleepy and closed her  
eyes.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Sensei!" The door burst open and four individuals may their way  
in. The scene that greeted them was not what they expected. Yuri, the  
one that had yelled, gasped and immediately flew to Oka's side, lifting  
the old woman's head into her lap. "Are you alright?"  
  
Oka coughed, while Konatsu, Satsu, and Selah kneeled down next  
to her. "...child..."  
  
"She's alive!" Yuri breathed, relieved.  
  
"Not for long," Satsu said with a grim mask. "She's been  
poisoned, and I recognize the agent used. It couldn't have happened more  
than a short time ago." His face suddenly became fiercly angry. "Dang it  
all! I was too late!"  
  
He had found Konatsu and Yuri on their way back to their cabin  
and intercepted him. After telling them of his bad premonition, the  
quartet made their way back to Kenji's room. But they obviously didn't  
make it time.  
  
"Do not... blame yourself... old friend," Oka said softly, her  
eyes still closed. "My... fault. Didn't... realize... too late..."  
  
"Who did this, sensei?" Yuri asked through the tears that were  
begginning to flow. "Where's Kenji!?"  
  
"...she... has him. Gone..."  
  
"Who!?" Yuri practically screamed. "Who is she!?"  
  
Instead of answering, Oka slowly reached a hand up and grazed  
Yuri's cheeks, moistening her finger with the tears that were flowing.  
She then stroked the girl's forehead, leaving a glistening trail across  
it. "...child... I pass it on... to you. Blood of... my blood..."  
  
Then her hand fell limp to the ground and her breathing, which  
was already slow and shallow, stopped.  
  
Selah glanced back and forth between the people there,  
understanding very little of what was going on, but aware that something  
major had happened.  
  
Konatsu slowly extracated the old woman's body from Yuri's  
stunned grasp, placing her gently on the floor. He glanced back up at  
the young girl who was still kneeling, her position and gaze unchanged.  
"Yuri-sama..." he breathed.  
  
Satsu closed his eyes. "So it was spoken, so it shall be done."  
He then turned his gaze toward Yuri. "I know you are sad, little one,  
but you have much work to do. You will have to grieve later."  
  
"What do you mean, sensei?" Konatsu asked.  
  
"You heard her say it yourself," Satsu returned. "'I pass it on  
to you. Blood of my blood.'" Konatsu's eyes widened when the  
implications hit, but the old teacher said it aloud anyways. "The leader  
of this clan was Soyokaze Oka, mother of Soyokaze Sulyia, grandmother to  
Kenji and Yuri."  
  
"Grandma..." Yuri whispered softly.  
  
Satsu's gaze was hard. "And now the mantle of leadership for  
the clan has been passed to her granddaughter." 


	7. Chapter 7

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 7  
  
  
  
  
  
"How much longer is it to this stupid Kuno place, Saotome?" Ryo  
asked gruffly.  
  
Tenma shrugged. "How should I know? I've never been there. Ask  
our guide."  
  
Ranko flipped her red pig-tail coyly in Ryo's direction. "We'll  
be there soon, Ryo-chan." Tenma snickered and Ryo groaned.  
  
Ranko had been flirting with Ryo ever since they started riding  
together. She tried to flirt with Tenma, but quickly told her he was  
already engaged. Not that he cared mind you, it was just to stop Ranko  
from flirting with him.  
  
"We should be there by nightfall."  
  
"Are you sure, Ranko-san?" Tenma asked.  
  
"I've been all all around the country, I know where we're going.  
Trust me."  
  
Both boys glanced at each other, each one knowing what the  
other was thinking.   
  
  
  
  
  
"What was daddy thinking!?"  
  
"Calm down, imouto-chan," Nayrumi said while relaxing on a bed  
of cushions in an exquiste kimono. "If you ask me, you're getting a good  
deal here; the Kuno's are loaded. You can lead an easy life here. And  
need I remind that if you don't marry him, the Kunos won't help us, and  
we need all the help we can get."  
  
"That's easy for you to say, you don't have to marry the  
arrogant, egotistical jerk," Akara countered. Her face hardened.  
"There's no way I'm going to be his wife. I'll die first."  
  
She had been granted a brief resting moment before the ceremony  
would begin, and her older sister had managed to sneak in talk with her.  
  
"Oh, so you'd rather marry Tenma?" Nayrumi asked snidely.  
  
A strange smile appeared on Akara's face for a minute, then it  
turned into a scowl. "That hentai!? Not likely! I don't want to marry  
anyone!"  
  
A dull gong rang throughout the mansion and both girls realized  
what it meant.  
  
"Well, you're about to marry someone," Nayrumi said solemnly.  
"So you might as well get used to the idea right now."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"I hear what you're saying, Tendo-san," Kuno-dono was saying.  
"But my son has chosen and this `Tenma' has yet to appear."  
  
Senshin sighed. He tried to appeal to the Daimyo's reasoning  
several times, but each time his pleas had been rejected. Now, he was  
forced to be silent as the wedding ceremony began and his youngest  
daughter arrived, clad in a white kimono.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Well, this is it," Ranko said at last. "Over this wall is the  
Kuno estate. Now what?" She turned to her two traveling companions.  
  
"We go to the gate and get let in," Tenma stated. "Akara should  
have let them know we were coming."  
  
"For once, I hope you know what you're doing, Saotome," Ryo said  
as they approached the main gate. "Those guards don't look friendly and  
we don't have our you-know-what back yet."  
  
"Halt!" one of the eight guards by the gate commanded. "State  
your name and business."  
  
Tenma pulled his horse up short. "Saotome Tenma. I'm part of  
Tendo-san's army. I wish to be let in to rejoin them."  
  
"The Kuno estate is currently off limits to everyone," the guard  
responded. "Until the marriage ceremony is complete, for safety  
reasons."  
  
"Ooh!" Ranko squealed. "Who's getting married?"  
  
"It's between his highness, Kuno Tateyama, and Tendo Akara.  
After the ceremony is complete, you will be let in."  
  
"WHAT!?" both boys retorted.  
  
Tenma suddenly found himself shaking with barely contained  
anger. Somehow the thought of Akara being married to another man was  
making his blood turn cold and his whole body tingled with fear. "Now  
wait just a minute! She's my fiancee!"  
  
The guards snickered. "Yeah, sure she is," one of them said,  
brandishing his polearm menacingly. "Now just move along."  
  
Ranko was shocked. "Your fiancee is getting married to another  
man!?" Her eyes narrowed. "That's not right!" She leapt down off her  
horse and started towards the guards, pulling out a pair of dark blue  
bracers and snapping them on. Some small part of Tenma's mind thought  
they looked an awful lot like his own. "We demand to be let in or else!"  
  
"Or else what, little girl?" one of the guards snickered.  
  
Tenma and Ryo braced for what would happen next, even as they  
pitied the poor man.  
  
"LITTLE GIRL!?"  
  
*WHAM!* The guard doubled over in pain, his hands over his  
crotch, thanks to Ranko's knee.  
  
"Who's next?"  
  
"Get her!" The guards charged.  
  
"Come on, Ryo, let's go help her before she gets in over her  
head."  
  
The boys leapt off their horses and prepared to join the fight,  
but were surprised to see Ranko holding her own. She was fast, and knew  
exactly where to attack. The two boys grabbed a pair of pikes and began  
to help anyway.  
  
"We can handle this, Tenma-san!" Ranko called, flipping one of  
her attackers into another. "You go get your fiancee!"  
  
Tenma nodded. Ranko had Ryo with her, so she should be okay.  
Even though, he didn't have his strength, he wasn't completely helpless.  
"Thank you!" he called as he leapt from one guard's head to the top of  
the wall. Then he was down on the other side and running as if his life  
depended on it.  
  
Because oddly enough, he felt as if it did.  
  
  
  
  
  
Akara had declared that she would never get married to the Kuno  
heir, but the truth of the matter was they needed the Kuno's help to  
defeat the Dark Shogun. If she refused to marry him, their alliance  
would be dissolved. So that's what she told herself over and over again,  
hoping it would give her the strength to go through with this disgusting  
act.  
  
she  
reasoned.   
Still, as she shakingly lifted the cup of sake that would seal the  
marriage, she desperately wished there was a way out of this.  
  
As if a sympathetic Kami had heard her heart's plea, the doors  
to the wedding hall were flung open and a single voice rang out.  
  
"Stop this!"  
  
Akara almost couldn't believe her ears, the recognized voice a  
welcome and joyous musical symphony in the face of Kuno's arrogant tone.  
Mumbles and whispers from the gathered folk echoed around the pavillion  
in the wake of the newcomer's shouted command.  
  
Tateyama was instantly on his feet. "Who be this commoner, who  
dares to trespass upon this holiest of days!?"  
  
Akara gasped as she turned and beheld her first iinazuke. "Tenma!"  
  
"Saotome Tenma," the man declared as he walked down the hall.  
"Akara is my fiancee! If you touch her, I'll kill you!"  
  
There were more surprised whispered rumors from the group of  
people who had come to watch to wedding. Many backed away from the young  
Saotome in fear, because of the threatening presence he radiated.  
  
Tateyama waved that statement off, oblivious to the danger he  
was in that everyone else could sense. "Nonsense, she is mine now. Any  
claim you had is now forfeit."  
  
Tenma instantly recognized the young nobleman as the arrogant  
type, the kind he had always despised. "So, you think you're are man  
enough to hold onto her?" he challenged. "Or does the young lord fear  
his skills are inadequate?"  
  
Tateyama's visage darkened. "Very well. If thy death is what  
lurks inside thee as thy innermost desire, I shall allow you the  
pleasure of witnessing mine skill firsthand as a gift, before your  
departure to the afterlife!"  
  
Akara watched as Kuno shed his outer kimono and leap into he  
air. There was a sharp intake of breath as she caught sight of the  
sheath inside his hakama and tried to warn her fiance. "Tenma! Look  
out!"  
  
But the young Saotome saw the flash of silver as Kuno drew, and  
leaned to the side as the blade came down. He used the other boy's  
momentum to trip him up and slam him face first into the ground. He then  
backed away, giving Tateyama time to stand up.  
  
"Thy strike be lucky, fiend!" Kuno accused. "Thou shall not get  
another."  
  
Tenma made an exaggerated yawn, which only served to infuriate  
the young noble. But truth be told, he was a little worried. Tenma was  
faster than Kuno, but a single lucky strike with the katana and it would  
be all over. Plus, he didn't have much strength, so he would have to use  
a variety of tricks to get Tateyama to hurt himself. Taking the sword  
away and using it was out of the question, since the guards would most  
likely kill him if he killed Kuno. And despite his bravado, he really  
didn't want to anyone's death on his hands.  
  
Then there was no more time for contemplation, as Kuno was  
attacking again, sword blurring in front of him in rapid striking  
motions. Tenma read the standard pattern in the attack and avoided most  
of them as he backpedaled under the fierce assault. The few that made  
contact were mere scratches and cut his clothing, but a couple managed  
to draw a little blood.  
  
Tateyama stood triumphant. "Ha! I came first blood! Do you wish  
to yield?"  
  
"Over a coupla scratches?" Tenma was incredulous. "You have got  
to be kidding."  
  
"Than have at you!" Kuno charged again with the same attack  
pattern.  
  
This time Tenma was ready for him. He worked his way into the  
swordsman's guard while evading the strikes. With a simple twist that  
didn't require much strength, Tenma flipped Kuno to the ground and  
disarmed him. He then made a show of swinging the weapon around while  
Tateyama stood up.  
  
"Hmmm, good weight, nice balance," Tenma complimented. "Very  
sharp. Nice weapon. Too bad you don't know how to fully use it." He then  
tossed the weapon back to his opponent. "But you can have it back, since  
you obviously need it more than I do."  
  
Kuno's look of shock turned to anger before he attacked again  
with more viciousness then he had yet shown. Tenma continued to evade  
the lethal strikes, even while he worked on his only other option. He  
was reluctant to use this maneuver because of the damage it would cause  
and of how unpredictable it was, but he saw no other choice at the  
moment.  
  
"Whenever you're done playin', we can start fightin' for real,"  
Tenma told his increasingly frustrated and furious advesary.  
  
On the sidelines, Akara wondered what was taking Tenma so long.  
So far he had just evaded everything and used a few simple tricks to put  
Kuno down. Why wasn't he fighting back? Something must be wrong, but  
what? And now he seemed to be going out of his way to make Tateyama  
angry. Her worry only increased.  
  
And was that a circular pattern he was moving in?  
  
Tenma sensed the right moment. He just needed his opponent  
angry enough, but not too angry so it wouldn't last too long. He thrust  
his right hand up in a mighty uppercut that failed to connect.  
  
"Hiryu Shoten Ha!"  
  
The dragon's tornado formed and Kuno was sucked off his feet.  
The audience gasped and backed away as the mighty winds thrust the young  
heir into the ceiling, cracking it. A large amount of the gathered group  
stampeded for the exits in fear as the attack went off, leaving only a  
dozen or so of the braver bystanders behind. They watched in awe and  
disbelief as the tornado then pulled Kuno straight down again to smash  
into the floor.  
  
There was quiet in the hall after that, except for the noise of  
the whirlwind dying down. Then Akara broke from her place at the altar  
and ran towards the young Saotome, shedding her outer kimono as she  
went.  
  
"Tenma!" She wrapped her arms around him with a crushing hug.  
"I thought you were dead, you baka! You know much I was worried about  
you!?"  
  
The shock that covered Tenma's face, but that was nothing  
compared to the warm and fuzzy feeling that filled his insides and made  
his body tingle at the contact. It was several minutes before he could  
respond.  
  
"So, you were worried about me, eh?" he replied getting his  
cocky grin.  
  
She let go of him then, and slugged him hard. "Baka! Don't ever  
do that again!"  
  
Tenma rubbed his arm.. "Uh, yeah, sure." Somehow, he knew he didn't really want her to change.  
  
The sound of clapping captured the attention of the couple, as  
we as everyone else's. "Very good!" came the voice of the Kuno Daimyo.  
"I haven't seen combat like that for ages. I only hope my son will learn  
something from it." A pair of retainers were already carrying the young  
heir out to receive medical attention.  
  
Just then, a frantic guard burst into the palace with Ryo and  
Ranko close behind. "Lord Kuno! I have urgent news!" He ran up to speak  
with the Daimyo in hushed tones while Ryo and Ranko headed straight for  
Tenma and Akara.  
  
"We got big trouble, Tenma-san!" Ranko said breathlessly.  
  
"Tenma, who is this?" Akara asked with a hint of jealously in  
her voice and a slight scowl on her face.  
  
Tenma made the introductions. "Akara, this is Ranko-san. Ranko-  
san, this is my... fiancee, Tendo Akara." He turned back to his  
reluctant iinazuke. "Ranko-san helped us out a bit on the road."  
  
"Pleased to meet ya!" Ranko said enthusiastically as she bowed  
with a big smile on her face. Akara returned the bow, but with less  
enthusiasm.  
  
Ryo had been watching this, and he couldn't mistake the look  
Akara had given Tenma. Saotome may not have picked up on it, but Ryo  
could tell it was a `you-better-not-be-fooling-with-other-girls-because-  
you're-mine' look. At first he despaired, but then thought,   
  
"Now what's this trouble all about?" Tenma asked.  
  
Ranko's demeanor changed back to serious. "Oh yeah!" And with  
her next two lines, twin looks of shock appeared on the young couple's  
faces "The Dark Shogun's army is approaching the Kuno estate! They'll  
be here in two days!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tenma relaxed onto his futon, putting his hands underneath his  
head as he did so. He had been loaned this room during his stay at the  
Kuno estate and he was sharing it with Ryo, who was currently asleep in  
the other bed.  
  
After Ranko's news, she had left with the Tendo sisters to get  
the young would-be bride out of her bridal kimono and the house servants  
had ushered both Ryo and him here. Presumably, Senshin had left with the  
Kuno Daimyo to discuss strategy. That left Tenma with a now-snoring Ryo.  
  
he thought to himself. I forgot how loud pig-boy  
snores. He yawned tiredly.   
  
He had just begun to drift off when he felt it; something was  
tickling his nose. His subconcious mind took control of his hand to  
swipe the fly away, but the tickling immediately returned. The hand was  
ordered back into action, but it's efforts ultimately proved futile.  
Exasperated, Tenma's subconcious gave up and delivered a swift kick to  
his conscious mind.  
  
His eyes popped open to behold the sultry smiling girl above  
him, clad in a black kimono. Her hand was holding the end of a whip and  
was using it to tickle his nose. Part of his mind noted how some of the  
kimono was pulled down, baring her right shoulder.  
  
"Ohohoho!" she laughed quietly, obviously quite amused.  
  
"Yaaagh!" Tenma was instantly against the far wall. "Who are  
you!? What are you doing here!?"  
  
The girl seemed mildly surprised at his rapid escape, but hid  
it behind a lusty smile. "He didn't mention how handsome you were." She  
stood up slowly, not bothering to fix her kimono, and let her long black  
hair fall over her left shoulder. "I'm not going to hurt you, Tenma-  
sama."  
  
The young Saotome calmed some, confusion replacing the  
surprise. "What do you want?"  
  
Her eyes traveled up and down his body, and Tenma suddenly  
found himself feeling very much like a piece of meat. She sauntered  
slowly toward him, doubling up the whip she held in her hands. As she  
neared him, she playfully hung the whip around the back of his neck,  
pulling him closer with both hands.  
  
"Many things," she said in a highly suggestive voice. Then her  
lips turned into a pout of regret. "But some will have to wait. My  
mother wishes to meet with you and your friend."  
  
*Knock* *Knock* "Tenma? Are you awake? Can I come in?"  
  
Tenma's eyes went wide. "Ah, hold on!"  
  
He began to struggle to get out of the strange girl's  
entanglement, but it was more difficult then he thought. He was still  
lacking the majority of his strength, and she had taken his struggles as  
some sort of playful game, so she was holding on.  
  
"Leggo!" He whispered vehemently to her.  
  
"Oh, you don't really want that, Tenma-sama," she replied  
seductively.  
  
Outside, Akara had put her ear to the door, but all she could  
hear was hushed whispering and sounds of a struggle. She grew quite  
concerned for some reason. "Tenma, what's going on? I'm coming in!"  
  
"No!" Tenma replied. But Akara's voice had distracted him and he  
slipped and fell backwards, pulling the girl on top of him.  
  
Which was naturally what Akara saw when she opened the door.  
"Tenma--?"  
  
"Akara!" he exclaimed. "It's not what it looks like!"  
  
The young Tendo's face darkened as she crossed her arms over  
her chest. "Well, apparently I've come at a bad time. I'll just let you  
two get back to what you were doing." And with that, she turned and  
stomped out, slamming the door shut as she did.  
  
Which was finally what woke Ryo up. "Huh-what? Did I hear  
Akara-san's voice?" He blinked his eyes open and beheld the same scene  
Akara did. "TENMA! How dare you cavort with other women when you have a  
great fiancee like Akara!"  
  
Tenma put his hands up in a warding gesture. "Ryo! It ain't  
what ya think!"  
  
Seeing how this wasn't going to go the way she wanted, the girl  
finally let go and stood up.  
  
Which was a good thing too, since Ryo chose that moment to drop  
a large, iron, planted pot on his rival.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"I trust my daughter didn't cause you too much trouble," Lady  
Kuno was saying.  
  
Tenma and Ryo glared at each other. The former boy was sporting  
a nice goose egg bump on his head from Ryo and his cheek was red from  
Akara's slap, which she administered a short time ago.   
  
"No trouble at all," Tenma muttered.  
  
The Kuno matriarch smiled slightly from her side of the room  
where she was sitting seiza, almost as if she had known exactly what had  
occured. Physically, she looked almost like an exact duplicate of her  
daughter, but older and more mature. But where her daughter had  
seductive eyes, the older woman had a piercing gaze that seemd to read  
Tenma's innermost thoughts. Her daughter, Konisha, was the the girl who  
had been sent to fetch Tenma, and had ended up causing him a lot of  
trouble instead.  
  
Still, now both boys were finally here in this small room,  
kneeling on their side of the small table across from the Kuno matriarch  
and her daughter. Akara sat next to Tenma from where she took turns  
glaring at Konisha and Tenma, and Ranko sat next to Ryo.  
  
"Yes, well, my daughter and I recently returned from a long  
trip," Lady Kuno said, continuing. "We left when we heard rumors of a  
mysterious shogun who was assembling a large army. None of our spies  
ever returned, so we deemed this a significant threat. We knew our army  
was too small to defend ourselves, should we be attacked, so I departed  
with my daughter to seek allies."  
  
"Just you two!?" Tenma asked, incredously. "No guards?"  
  
Lady Kuno put down her tea after taking a sip and fixed with  
him with a look that made the young Saotome feel incredibly stupid.  
"Yes, just us two. Guards would have drawn too much attention to us."  
  
Tenma stopped, unable to argue against the logic in that.  
  
"As I was saying, we were seeking allies," she continued.  
"Tendo-san's rebel army was one, but the other we met when we found a  
gaijin girl on the western coast of Japan. She spoke our language  
perfectly, yet claimed to be a traveling warrior from across the sea,  
looking for worthy male opponents to fight. In return, I explained our  
plight about the gathering darkness. She then declared she would return  
in 30 days with more warriors. She said it was a sacred duty of her  
tribe to fight such evil." The matronly woman gazed down into her tea.  
"I do not know why, but I believed her."  
  
Akara had been growing more uncertain as the Kuno matriarch  
related her tale. She had a growing suspicion about where it was  
heading, but wanted to be sure. "So, just where do Tenma and Ryo-san fit  
into all of this?"  
  
The older woman looked back up. "The 30 days are up. If the  
girl spoke the truth, her warriors should be gathered at the western  
shore. I would like for Tenma-san and Ryo-san to meet with them and lead  
them back here. My daughter shall be your guide, since she knows the  
way."  
  
"Why both of us?" Ryo asked, not wanting the leave the Kuno  
estate and Akara. "Why not just send Tenma?"  
  
"Because," she replied. "I know you are both suffering from a  
strength malady, are you not?"  
  
Surprised, both boys nodded, then Tenma asked, "How did you  
know?"  
  
"I can sense it. The point is, the girl I met with seemed to  
know a lot of medical lore and she shared much with us. If anyone could  
cure your problem, she, or one of her people, could."  
  
There was silence in the room after that as the the young  
occupants mulled over this latest development in their minds. Then Tenma  
seemingly reached a decision and stood. "I'm going."  
  
"Me, too," Ryo added immediately. He knew he'd never be able to  
beat his rival if only Tenma got his strength back.  
  
Akara looked into her lap but didn't say anything.  
  
Lady Kuno also stood. "Well, it is late. Why don't you head  
back to your rooms and get some rest? You will be leaving at first light  
tomorrow." She slid open a side panel and stopped in the doorway, her  
daughter joining her.  
  
"And Tenma-san, remember this. We only have enough supplies here  
to hold off the Dark Shogun's army for four or five days at most. You  
must return in that time with help, or we will be lost."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tenma stood on the small balcony of the second floor, gazing at  
the star-filled sky. In the room in the back, Ryo snored on, but the  
young Saotome didn't feel much like sleeping. For the first time in his  
life, his thoughts and emotions were in a whirl.  
  
I don't understand, he thought.   
  
He could recall smashing open the doors to the wedding pavilion  
and feeling conflicting emotions at the sight that greeted him. Akara  
was kneeling in a brilliant wedding kimono that sent strange tingles  
throughout his body. He also saw the man beside her that was about to  
become her husband, and that tingle helped to fuel his rage. This man  
had dared to take Akara away from him!  
  
On the balcony, Tenma clenched and unclenched his fists, trying  
to calm down as the memories threatened to inflame him once more. I  
just don't understand. So preoccupied was he, that he failed to detect  
the person approaching from behind.  
  
"Hey there," came the gentle female voice.  
  
Tenma started and turned around. "Akara! What are you doing  
here?"  
  
Her response wasn't what he was expecting. She seemed to blush  
faintly even as she turned her head up into the sky. "Just checking up  
on you." She turned to face him again, a slight smile on her lips. "And  
to bring you a friend."  
  
The young man cocked his head in confusion, but then he could  
sense a familiar presence in the shadows behind her. Slowly, the shadows  
unfolded to form a black panther.  
  
"Neko!" Tenma exclaimed in surprise. "You're alive!"  
  
The big cat wasted no time in pouncing on on his old friend,  
wrestling him to the ground and licking his face. The laughter of Tenma  
and the loud, playful purring of the panther brought a giggle out of  
Akara as she watched the two play.  
  
The two slowed down and stopped. "I thought I'd lost you,"  
Tenma told his old friend as he scratched the big cat's neck. He turned  
to look at Akara, gratitude displayed prominantly on his face. "Arigato  
nasai, Akara. Where did you find him?" He slowly extricated himself from  
Neko's grip and stood up.  
  
"More like he found me," Akara replied. "I had just laid back  
down to go to sleep when he showed up. I figured I'd better show him  
where you were." Her face became odd. "It's strange, but it almost felt  
like he wanted me to come here."  
  
Tenma shrugged. "Neko is a strange cat. He lived in the  
mountains with Satsu, Ryo, and I, but never actually came to the cabin."  
He turned to gaze out over the balcony to the landscape below, his arms  
coming to rest on the railing. Akara hesitantly took the few steps  
between them until she was duplicating his postion from a couple feet  
away. Neko sat down bewteen them.  
  
"Why's that?" Akara asked, curious.  
  
"I don't know." Tenma took a breath. "The first time I saw Neko  
was several years ago while I was training alone in a secluded grove. I  
was performing a kata when suddenly I saw this big, black cat perched on  
a rock and watching me. I got scared and ran back to Satsu's shack." He  
let loose a small smile at the memory.  
  
"Scared?" Akara sounded amused. "The great Saotome Tenma was  
afraid?"  
  
Tenma turned his head sideways and grinned at her. "I remember  
Neko gave you quite a fright when you first met him."  
  
She blushed and `hmmphed.' "Touche."  
  
He turned back to looking at the night sky before continuing  
his story. "I had never seen a creature like that before, so I asked  
Satsu about it. He laughed and explained about Neko, who was a panther,  
the only one he'd ever seen. He said not to worry because Neko was  
friendly, if a bit affectionate. The next day, I ran into Neko in the  
same spot. This time I faced my fear and approached him, expecting to be  
attacked at any moment. It wasn't until I was actually scratching his  
neck when I realized Satsu was telling the truth. He's been with me ever  
since."  
  
Tenma absently reached a hand down to scratch Neko's neck, and  
found Akara's hand doing the same thing. They both jumped a little as  
their hands met, then quickly retrieved them, cheeks reddening.  
  
"Sorry-" "Oops-" They said simultaneously, then laughed at  
their actions. Neko look back and forth at the two, mildy upset that  
they had stopped petting him.  
  
"I'm sorry about the earlier thing with Konisha, too," Tenma  
said softly. "She just sort of jumped on me. I didn't want her to do  
that. There ain't nothing going on between us! I mean, not that I care  
or anything."  
  
Akara frowned a little and gave him a half-lidded stare,  
crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh reeeeally?"  
  
"Yes, really!" he gruffed as he turned to face her. "And you get  
so uncute when you're jealous."  
  
"Why would I jealous of her!? After all, there's nothing going  
on between us to be jealous about! It was my father's stupid idea to  
engage us!"  
  
"Right!" Tenma agreed, then both turned to gaze out of the  
darkened lanscape once more. "So what if you wanted to marry that idiot  
Kuno boy. There ain't no reason for me to be jealous of that!"  
  
Both teens suddenly felt disheartend for no reason they could  
identify, and it was several moments before Akara spoke again. "You  
don't have to worry. I'm not marrying Kuno. He's even more of a baka  
hentai than you are."  
  
"Hey!" Tenma was affronted. "Well, that's good,but its not like  
I care or anything." He suddenly felt compelled to turn and look at his  
unwilling fiancee, to judge her reaction, and found her already looking  
at him.  
  
On the ground, Neko yawned and look back and forth between  
Tenma and Akara. Seemingly reaching a decision, he got up and bumped  
Tenma from behind, forcing the boy to stumble forward to fall, then  
quickly did the same to Akara. The two teens fell into each other, her  
hands coming to rest on his chest, and his hands falling on her  
shoulders. For several moments, the two stayed like that, drinking in  
the wonder-filled gaze of the other and listening to their own rapidly-  
accelerating heartbeats.  
  
Tenma could see the stars reflected in Akara's big, brown eyes,  
and suddenly found his whole body heating up for no reason.   
  
Akara could feel his firm chest under her hands, as well as the  
fast beating of his heart that nearly matched her own. Gazing up into  
his face, she felt as if she could get pulled into his deep, blue eyes  
and lose herself within them.  
  
"Tenma..." She leaned her head up ever-so-slightly.  
  
"Akara..." He lowered his down a bit, feeling drawn to her for  
some reason.  
  
Their lips were centimeters apart.  
  
"Tenma?" came Ryo's voice from inside the room. "Where are you?"  
  
The bandanna-clad boy came out onto the balcony to see Tenma  
and Akara at opposite ends, which was roughly a dozen feet apart. "A-A-  
Akara-san! What are you doing here?"  
  
She turned to face Ryo. "I just wanted to see how you were and  
return Neko to you guys." She spared a side glance to Tenma, thankful  
that the dark night hid her deep blush. "See you tomorrow. Have a good  
night, Ryo-kun." She quickly strode out of the room.  
  
"She called me `Ryo-kun'," he said dreamily.  
  
"Don't make me gag, pig-boy."  
  
"Shut up, Tenma. What are you doing out here anyway?"  
  
"Just getting some fresh air." He turned and started to walk  
back into the room, passing the panther on the way. "Come on, let's get  
some shut-eye for our trip tomorrow." Ryo grunted something that could  
have been an affirmative, but didn't argue.  
  
But as Tenma made his way back to his bedroll and laid down, he  
couldn't shake the feeling that as he passed the big cat, he had caught  
sight of a big smile plastered on Neko's face. 


	8. Chapter 8

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 8  
  
  
  
  
  
Shampoo awoke in a comfortable bed. This confused her, since  
she had been sleeping in either a tree or thicket of bushes ever since  
her curse had been mutated. Her foggy mind decided it would be a good  
idea to find out exactly where she was.  
  
Opening her eyes and raising her body to a sitting position,  
she discovered two things. One, that she was in a cabin room, and two,  
was that she was feeling weak and tired, despite the fact that she had  
just woken up.  
  
Then the memories of her fight with her mysterious attackers.  
  
  
She glanced at her arms and dispaired at the long scars on them  
from her unknown foe's bladed weapons. Matching scars were found on her  
body and legs as well. They looked like they would heal in time, but the  
intellectual part of Shampoo's mind noted that they were pretty serious  
wounds, so she knew she must have been out of it for some time.  
  
Before she could make any more thoughts, the door opened and an  
elderly woman walked in with a bowl of water and a towel. She gasped  
when she saw Shampoo was up.  
  
"Oh my, you're awake, dearie!" she said in Chinese while making  
her way to the bed. "I was worried when they brought you in. You had  
some nasty wounds and had lost a lot of blood."  
  
Shampoo could only sit there dumbfounded as the little old  
woman checked her wounds. She then washed them with a rag and applied  
some crushed herbs which, by the smell, Shampoo could tell were from a  
plant native to the Joketsuzoku area. They were used to accelerate  
healing.  
  
"Where am I?" the feral-girl asked at last in her native tongue.  
"Who are you?"  
  
The old woman smiled at her. "Oh, my name's not important. You  
are in Fen Wu's cabin. You were brought here several days ago with  
another young boy. You were both wounded, though his was not as great as  
yours."  
  
Shampoo thought.   
  
As the old woman began working on Shampoo's arm, the feral  
Amazon realized something. "You... not afraid of me? I not look.. ugly  
to you?"  
  
"Oh, heavens no!" the old woman laughed. "I'll admit I was a bit  
surprised, but everyone is unique and has their own story. I know you  
must have been through a lot and the last thing you would want is for  
people to hate and fear you." She finished with the arm, and with that,  
she began to pack up her things. "Now you should get some rest. You lost  
a lot of blood and your body needs time to replenish it." She began to  
walk back towards the door. "I'll be right back with some food," she  
promised as she disappeared through the door.  
  
True to her word, the old woman returned shortly with some  
soup, vegetables, and strips of pork, then left again without a word.  
Shampoo rapidly devoured the meal, but then felt like she had to get up  
and move around. She took a minute to stretch her muscles, then walked  
to the window to have a look outside. What she saw there made her gasp.  
  
Mousse was out there with another man, who she presumed to be  
Fen Wu. Both men were stripped to the waist, blindfolded, and were  
running through a kata side-by-side. They moved almost as one through  
the punches, kicks, and parries. As she stared at Mousse, his face and  
muscular chest glistening with sweat, she was reminded of the times she  
had spied on Ranma while he was training, and of how it had affected  
her.  
  
What scared her, is that those same feelings were resurfacing  
as she watched Mousse calming and expertly run through the kata. It  
reminded her that though he wasn't as good as Ranma, he was a highly  
skilled warrior and martial artist in his own right.  
  
Her legs began to feel weak, though she told herself it was  
just because she wasn't fully recovered yet. She quickly made her way  
back to bed and tried desperately to forget what she had seen.  
  
But it wouldn't go away.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ranma! No! Come back!"  
  
Akane continued to fight against the rapids, trying to reach  
the red-head that was disappearing beneath the waves. Her arms felt like  
lead and her legs refused to respond, but still she swam on. It was no  
use, however. Despite her efforts, the water continued to pull her down  
into it's watery depths.  
  
She opened her mouth to take a breath, but water filled it  
instead. Her eyes closed as she choked, but then she felt hands grabbing  
ahold of her, preventing her from moving. She tried to scream, but more  
water flooded her mouth. She wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.  
  
Then she heard the voice. "Hold still! You're alright!"  
  
Akane's eyes snapped open while her body froze. She was soaked,  
but it was from sweat as opposed to river water. And she wasn't on the  
dirt ground of the shore, she was in a bed, the sheets were tangled in  
her limbs and the body of another woman draped over her. As she relaxed,  
the woman let go and climbed off her.  
  
"Kami-sama, you're strong, girl," the woman, who appeared to be  
in her 40's, told her. Her hair was showing a few gray strands,  
intermixed with her dark brown ones, and several wrinkles lined her  
face. "You darn threw me across the room twice. Are you all right now?"  
  
Akane realized all she was wearing was her panties and quickly  
pulled the blanket over her body. "Who are you!?" she demanded. "Where  
am I?"  
  
The woman chuckled. "Show some gratitude, girl. I found you in  
the underground well last night and carried your half-drowned body up  
here. You've been asleep ever since. Nobody's taken advantage of you."  
  
Akane thought to herself, then blinked as the  
memories came pouring back. "Did you see anyone else? Like a  
girl with red hair?"  
  
The woman shook her head. "Nope, sorry. Was there supposed to  
be someone else with you?"  
  
Akane's head dropped. "My... friend. She saved me."   
  
"I'm sorry to hear that." Akane could tell the woman's voice was  
sympathetic. "My name is Kobayashi Noriko. You're welcome to stay with  
me for a few days to get your strength back."  
  
Akane closed her eyes and sighed. "Arigato nasai. But I should  
leave soon to search for Ranma." Her eyes opened again. "By the way, I'm  
Tendo Akane of the Tendo Musabetsu Kakuto-ryu in Nerima."  
  
"You're a martial artist?" The woman's eyes reflected mingled  
surprise and amusement for a minute, but then it vanished.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Noriko changed the subject. "Well, get some rest right now,  
Tendo-san, and I'll go bring you some breakfast." She got up to leave.  
"Oh, and if you're wondering about your clothes, they're hanging out to  
dry right now. If you like, though, I can find some other ones for you  
to wear until then."  
  
"Arigato, that would be nice," Akane replied. Then the woman was  
gone, and Akane turned to gaze out the window. "Where are you, Ranma?  
You'd better be okay..."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Urrrg..." The girl on the beach stirred slowly, then awakened  
and began to cough up the dirt in her mouth. "Akane no baka."  
  
Ranma-onna slowly sat up and scanned her surroundings. She was  
on a beach, near a river that fed into the ocean. Judging from the sun  
rising over the ocean horizon, she knew she must be on the eastern shore  
of Japan. A forest canopy presented itself to the west, but there was  
nobody around to tell her exactly where she was.  
  
She remembered losing consciousness temporarily after throwing  
Akane to safety, then waking up long enough to pull her own tired body  
to a shore where she fell asleep. She rotated her arms to work the kinks  
out, but her stomach immediately growled, telling her she better get  
some food soon.  
  
Standing, Ranma made her way into the forest.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"How is she?"  
  
"Still asleep," Satsu replied, taking a seat on the floor next  
to Konatsu in the empty training hall. "Last night took a lot out of  
her. I'm not certain how she'll fare in the days to come."  
  
Konatsu thought back on the seemingly short time he had known  
the spunky ninja girl. "She is strong."  
  
Satsu nodded while stroking his goatee thoughtfully. "That she  
is. The question is, what do we do now?"  
  
"We go after Kenji," came a tired, but determined voice from the  
doorway.  
  
Konatsu was instantly on his feet. "Yuri-sama! You should rest  
more!"  
  
"I'm tired of resting!" she exclaimed fiercly. "I need to do  
something! I'm not some fragile thing to be protected and coddled!"  
  
"Then lead the clan," Satsu said softly from his postion on the  
floor. He hadn't turned to look at her.  
  
"I don't know anything about that!" Yuri protested. "I'm not a  
leader! I want to find my brother. I'm not going to lose him again."  
  
Satsu stood slowly. "What left last night may not have been  
your brother."  
  
Yuri was stunned. "My brother was kidnapped, sensei! How can  
you say that?"  
  
"The text said that the earth would open and an ancient one  
would ascend," Satsu replied. "Kenji-san went down, and something we  
thought was Kenji came up. The cave has since closed back up again. Now  
Oka is dead, something the Kenji we knew, would never have willingly  
been party to."  
  
"Are you saying Kenji-sama is not who he appears to be?" Konatsu  
suggested with wide eyes..  
  
The old man turned and regarded the two teens with a hard look,  
and nodded. "I think it's safe to say that, for all intents and  
purposes, Kenji is already dead."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"So, is he back yet?"  
  
"No, but I've been told this isn't unusual for him or his  
fiancee." Natsume let her teeth show. "You can fight me instead."  
  
Ryu frowned. "I said I don't fight little girls, and you aren't  
even a Tendo."  
  
"They were adpoted into this family, so legally, they are  
Tendos," Nabiki declared from the house doorway. She had heard about the  
run-in with Ryu Kumon yesterday, and decided it would be financially  
beneficial to get involved. Oh, and it would be fun, too.  
  
"So Natsume can accept your challenge," she continued. "Or you  
can withdraw it and I can make it known that the great Ryu Kumon was  
scared away by a girl."  
  
The boy with the black tanktop and camouflage pants didn't like  
where this was going, but didn't see any way out. "Fine, but I won't go  
easy on you, so don't blame me if you get hurt."  
  
Nastume gave Ryu a smile that was almost an exact duplicate of  
Nabiki's current one. It was one that could also be found on a great  
white shark as it approached it's prey.  
  
"The same goes for me," she replied, eagerly.  
  
Nabiki decided that was enough preamble and pressed a button on  
a remote hidden in her hand, behind her back. In the dojo, she knew a  
camera was now running. "Well, then, contestants, to the dojo!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"You can't be serious, old man!"  
  
Satsu fixed Kazao with a penetrating gaze. "It was Oka's wish  
that her granddaughter take her place. She has that right."  
  
"Provided the girl proves to be competant!" the angery ninja  
countered. "And we know very little of her, except that she's too  
emotional and her brother's a murderer!"  
  
Yuri, who had been patiently sitting nearby while Satsu  
addressed the conclave, shot to her feet. "My brother is not a  
murderer!"  
  
Kazao smiled thinly. "Maybe, maybe not. The evidence points to  
the former. No one could get this far into the camp without someone  
knowing about it. You, yourself, said that Oka was alone with your  
brother when you left, and now she's dead and he's gone."  
  
Yuri's mouth opened and closed several times while she steamed.  
"He's not a killer!" she yelled at last.  
  
Kazao crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "Then prove  
it."  
  
There were several murmurs in the crowd to this comment while  
Yuri wondered what was going on.  
  
Satsu's face hardened. "Are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
Kazao nodded. "Soyokaze Kenji has murdered one of the clan, his  
own grandmother no less! Therefore, Soyokaze Yuri is unfit to lead." He  
turned his gaze to Konatsu. "And this little freak ninja, who thinks  
he's a girl, does not belong here, either."  
  
Satsu allowed his own smile to show. "Then would you consider  
facing Kenzen Konatsu-san to determine both his own worthiness, as well  
as the matter of clan leadership?"  
  
"Sensei..." Yuri tried to say, but Satsu waved for her to be  
silent.  
  
"Very well, I accept," Kazao stated eagerly. "And once I finish  
the little runt, then-"  
  
"-The matter of clan leadership will be up to the conclave to  
decide," Satsu finished to Kazao's annoyance. He then turned to Konatsu  
and Yuri. "It's up to you, Konastu-san."  
  
"Sensei!" Yuri protested. "What are you doing!?"  
  
"In effect, Kazao has stated that you are unfit to lead, due to  
the fact that one of your family members killed a member of our clan,"  
Satsu explained. "Since the exact details of Oka's death are unknown, a  
trial of combat will be held to determine what happened. That would  
normally result in you fighting Kazao, but he has also declared issue  
with Konatsu. I merely combined the two issues into one trial, so  
Konatsu will fight instead of you, Yuri-san. The fates will hold that  
the victor's ideals stand."  
  
"Do you think I can win against him, sensei?" Konatsu asked.  
  
"Kazao is one of our best, but you have an enormous amount of  
raw skill, Konatsu-san," the old teacher replied. "Trust in your  
abilites and I believe you can emerge victorious."  
  
"If you're through, old man, we have a trial to commence," came  
Kazao's voice. He was brandishing a silvery katana with a eager grin on  
his face.  
  
Satsu nodded to Konatsu, who cautiously stepped into the  
circle. He then drew forth his takemitsu and prepared to face his  
advesary, but Kazao broke into laughter.  
  
"You're going to fight with a bamboo sword!?" he asked  
incredously through his laughter and that of his followers. "Very well.  
I'll try to go easy on you." He manged to get his laughter under  
control, but didn't lose the grin.  
  
In the next instant, Kazao attacked.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Natsume defended herself against the flurry of blows her  
opponent was delivering, blocking them all with her rugbeater staff. She  
grinned and returned the attack, sliding around Ryu and striking him in  
the back. He grunted with the cold impact, but still managed to lance  
out with a backhand that caught the girl in the shoulder.  
  
She flipped away and stopped, studying her opponent even while  
he was doing the same. "You're not bad," she commented.  
  
"I'll admit you got some spunk, girl," Ryu answered back. "But  
the fight's not over yet."  
  
"Indeed, it's not," Natsume agreed.  
  
As one, the two charged each other once again while Nabiki and  
Kurumi watched from the sidelines. The younger girl wanted to be in the  
fight as well, and she couldn't understand why Natsume had wanted to  
take on Ryu alone. They almost always fought as a team.  
  
Nabiki was fighting down the grin, while inwardly calculating  
how much she could win on this fight depending on which odds she set.  
While both fighters would be relative unknowns at Furinken, she could  
pump up the excitement by editing the tape to show bits and pieces.  
  
Yes, she knew she was going to make a bundle on this one.  
  
  
  
  
  
The conclave watched in awe as Konatsu parried all of Kazao's  
attacks by striking the flat side of his opponent's katana. He had even  
managed a few return strikes that bruised Kazao's body. All of this  
served to infuriate his adversary.  
  
The older ninja wasn't stupid, however. He forced his anger  
back down and concentrated instead on how to break through the younger  
boy's defense. He grinned and unleashed a group of caltrops, tossing  
them around the kunoichi's feet.  
  
Konatsu stumbled a bit as he tried to avoid the spiked balls  
and Kazao, sensing weakness, attacked. The male kunoichi was only  
partially able to deflect his opponent's katana, and pain flared in his  
shoulder as the blade scratched him. Then he was turning, and Kazao  
realized he had been fooled as Konatsu completed the twist and pushed  
the other ninja into the trap that had been set for him.  
  
The Garou clan warrior winced as his right foot was cut on a  
spike, but he bore it and flipped out of the mine field, cutting his  
hand on another spike as he did so.  
  
He then paused and regarded his rival with newfound respect,  
and a little fear.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ryu growled, growing frustrated at the way the battle was  
going. The Muy Thai Kickboxing he had been training in at another dojo  
wasn't working as well as he'd hoped. Of course, he was expecting to  
face Ranma when he returned to the Tendo dojo, not some upstart girl. So  
far, they had traded an even number of blows, but both were tiring. It  
wouldn't be long before someone fell.  
  
He readjusted the boxing pads on the back of his hands while he  
calculated his next action. Really, there were only a few more moves  
left to him, but they were finishers, designed to end the fight when he  
held the advantage. But maybe, just maybe, they would be what won him  
this fight.  
  
Natsume was breathing more heavily now, but feeling better  
about this fight. This Ryu was good, there was no doubt about that, but  
he wasn't as good as Ranma or Akane, and she had been training with them  
for the past few months. She just needed one good opening, and she had  
an idea about how to do it.  
  
The two martial artists closed again in a flurry of attacks.  
Ryu swung in with a right-left straight punch combo that Natsume blocked  
with her staff, then he dropped low with a sweep that she hopped over.  
Ryu continued to turn however, and planted his hand on the floor,  
lifting his body into the air to swing both feet around in an inverted  
hurricane kick.  
  
Natsume again blocked a spinning foot with her staff, but the  
second one caught her off-guard and inplanted itself in her stomach. She  
went tumbling away, but managed a recovery, using one hand to flip back  
to her feet. Seeking to reclaim the initiave, she launched two mini-  
tornados at her opponent, and had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes  
widen in surprise at the attack.  
  
But Ryu held his concentration, and launched two uppercuts with  
each hand. A thin orange trail was left in the wake of the punches,  
which formed a boomerang shape and launched towards the tornados,  
dissipating them when they made contact.  
  
He grinned, feeling elated at having performed the Cutting Wave  
attack in combat. For good measure, he launched two more at his  
opponent, then charged in behind them.  
  
Natsume frowned, then gathered her ki while the room dropped  
several degrees in temperature. He staff took on a faint blue hue, which  
she used to obliterate the two boomerang-shaped waves that came at her.  
  
Then Ryu was upon her, his hands glowing a flaming orange.  
Powerful shockwaves shook the dojo as padded fist met staff in a serious  
of fast, high-powered attacks, but this confrontation was different.  
  
Natsume spun the staff around, leading Ryu's attacks with it.  
As she thought, he had gotten too focused with her weapon, and not with  
her. Taking a calculated risk, she spun the staff out of her hands.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Konatsu had abandoned his takemitsu and was now using a pair of  
sai. Using them, he had disarmed Kazao of his katana, and now the other  
ninja was mimicking his own weapon choice.  
  
The two advesaries closed again, the sound of metal pinging off  
metal as lightning-fast attacks were exchanged, almost too fast for the  
eye to see. The two ninja fairly danced around each other, as each  
pushed their stengths and speeds to the limit, holding nothing back.  
  
It was clear that, thought Kazao was taking more hits, he also  
had more endurance and stamina. The gathered conclave had just about  
reached the decision Kazao was going to win, when something happened  
that caused them to gasp in amazement.  
  
Konatsu had started the battle uncertainly, but as it  
progressed, he grew more and more confident. Now, as he entered the  
fastest and most intense phase of the conflict and knowing there was  
little room for error, he grew strangely euphoric. It was if the skill-  
pushing battle were some of drug, taking him to a new high. His body  
seemed to instinctively know what to do and, since he was fascinated by  
the euphoric high, he let it take control.  
  
The audience watched in awe as Konatsu seemingly split in two  
as the two ninja danced around. Confusion replaced the joy in Kazao's  
mind, of thinking he was going to win. Now he was striking at living  
shadows, not knowing which was real and which was fake. That confusion  
only grew, when the two Konatsu's split again.  
  
Four versions of the male kunoichi flowed around Kazao, while  
the real one struck his opponent mercilessly with the sai. In short  
order, the Garou clan ninja was disarmed and brought to his knees,  
aching with all the blows he was receiving.  
  
On the sidelines, Yuri watched in awe, never knowing Konastu  
could do what he was doing now. Beside her, she heard Satsu whisper.  
  
"Body duplication illusion," he told her reverently. "A  
technique which has been lost to our clan for hundreds of years."  
  
In the circle, the battle was coming to a close. The four  
versions of Konatsu suddenly flowed together in front of the kneeling  
ninja, the male kunoichi pausing for a split second in a pre-strike  
position. Then, with a flash, Konatsu blurred past Kazao and stopped,  
right hand outstretched.  
  
All was still for another second, then Kazao collapsed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Disbelief was written on Ryu's face as he punched the whirling  
staff away. With crystalline clarity, he knew he'd been duped. He would  
have laughed if Natsume's furious hand strikes would have allowed him  
to.  
  
The first half-dozen punches stunned him, long enough for the  
girl to finish the job. As Ryu stumbled back, Natsume flipped to a hand-  
stand and wrapped her legs around Ryu's neck, her powerful thighs  
locking around him. She then gave a mighty tug, and slammed Ryu to the  
ground, hard, legs still closed around his neck.  
  
Ryu knew he had lost, but something else was consuming him at  
the moment. As he lay on the floor staring at the girl who had beaten  
him, he couldn't help but notice how exquisitely her heavy breathing  
made her chest rise and fall. He was fascinated by the drops of sweat  
that flowed down her neck to disappear into the swell of her breast,  
just visible above her bodysuit's tanktop lining. Her fierce blue eyes  
were staring back at him, pools of water on her face, framed by her hair  
which was matted against her face with sweat.  
  
It was the most incredible sight he had ever seen, and it  
scared him to death.  
  
Natsume was also studying Ryu, noting for the first time how  
his brown eyes sparkled. Fighting had always been a sort-of turn-on for  
Natsume, finding a wonderful release with each battle. Victory,  
especially, drove her higher than she had ever been before. Now, as her  
current victory had her with her legs locked around a boy with a lean,  
muscular chest, and with his hands resting on her legs in his futile  
attempt to free himself, Natsume was strangely confused.  
  
It was one of the most incredible feelings she had ever felt,  
and it scared her to death.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Noriko was surprised at the young girl's recovery. Despite  
being half-drowned in a the raging underground river, she was up in  
couple of hours insisting on helping out around the house. So, borrowing  
a shirt and a pair of jean shorts, she went around helping with the  
housework.  
  
Of course, Noriko then discovered that, though the girl was  
strong, she wasn't much for the kitchen arts. So she directed Akane to  
just clean, which the young girl did quite well. She also helped repair  
some of the damage the house had sustained over the years and she  
appeared to be quite good at that as well. By early afternoon, Noriko  
was impressed to see the house clean and in better condition than it had  
been for some time, so she called a break for lunch.  
  
And almost regretted it. Akane had a ravenous appetite and  
quickly downed everything that was placed in front of her. When Noriko  
attempted to comment on it, the girl only muttered something about a  
`baka of a fiance'. Noriko declined to pursue the matter further.  
  
They called it even after that. Akane was grateful for the  
rescue, but she needed to leave to find Ranma. Noriko was almost sad to  
see her go, after living by herself for so long, it was good to have  
someone to talk to after all this time. Akane promised to return  
someday, though.  
  
So, with her now-dry school dress folded into a bundle under  
her arm, Akane started in the direction Noriko had told her was where  
Tokyo, and Nerima, lay.  
  
  
  
  
  
A couple hours later, Noriko was still working in the garden  
when she spied a red-headed girl matching the description Akane gave  
her, so she called the young girl over. Sure enough, it was the right  
person and the older woman pointed out the direction Akane had gone.  
  
Ranma gave her thanks and started after her iinazuke.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Let the results of the battle speak for itself," Satsu intoned.  
"Kenji is innocent of the murder charge, at least until undisputable  
proof is obtained. Furthermore, the clan has born witness to the  
abilities of Kenzen Konatsu. I think we can all agree, that his  
inclusion would benefit the clan as a whole, greatly."  
  
There were several murmurs at this, but most agreed, still  
stunned by what they had seen.  
  
"And Soyokaze Yuri is our new clan leader," Satsu continued.  
"Until such time as she steps down, or her soul passes from this world."  
  
Yuri's gaze had been locked with Konatsu's since the battle  
ended, but with the mention of her name, she turned toward Satsu who  
motioned for her to speak. As she stepped up to address the clan, she  
thought she would have nothing to say, but the words came to her  
nonetheless.  
  
"It was Oka-sensei's last wish that I take her place," She  
began. "I do not know why she wanted me to, nor did I feel up to doing  
so. I do not think for a minute I could ever truly take the place she  
held in this clan."  
  
The faces of her clan were focused upon her, but strangely, she  
did not feel nervous, even though several were giving her dark looks.  
However, there were plenty others of the clan that were nodding their  
ascent, as if they understood her position.  
  
"I will do the best I can, however," she was saying. "In the  
short time I knew my grandmother, I learned how she would often seek  
advice and council from others, so I will do the same. I would ask that  
Satsu-sensei, Neko, and Kenzen Konatsu-" her voice almost faltered at  
this point, but she regained control of it "-help me in this difficult  
time, as my personal advisors." She fixed each one with a look as she  
said their name, but Konatsu's amused her the most. He had a reverent  
look on his face, as if Yuri was a goddess and had just asked him to be  
her head priest.  
  
"This will not stop me from seeking advice from the rest of the  
clan. It's just that these three have helped me the most so far, and I  
trust their judgement." She bowed to the assembled clan. "I thank you  
for your support, because I will be needing it in the days to come. You  
are dismissed."  
  
She lost it then, and had to turn away lest the clan see her  
her fear and nervousness. Neko and Satsu were right with her then,  
supporting and helping her back to her cabin, but they were stopped by  
Konatsu in their path.  
  
"Yuri-sama," he said, dropping to one knee. "I am at your  
disposal. I vow to help you and protect you to the best of my ability. I  
only hope I can be-" his eyes mirrored the nervousness in her own, "-  
worthy, of the trust and faith you placed in me."  
  
Yuri almost giggled at Konatsu's solemn vow. "Thank you,  
Konatsu-chan." She favored him with a warm smile that, to her delight,  
made him blush. She then glanced at the old man to her right who was her  
teacher, and the older woman to her left who was her friend. "Thank you  
both, as well."  
  
Neko smiled back at her. "Hey, what are friends for?"  
  
  
  
  
  
"And the winner is: Tendo Natsume of the Tendo Dojo!" Nabiki  
declared, startling the two combatants out of their moment.  
  
With an embarrased blush, they seperated as quickly as possible  
while a bubbling Kurumi attached herself to her older sister. "Oneechan!  
You won!"  
  
"Of course I won," Natsume replied. "How could I lose with you  
cheering for me?" She then looked back up at Ryu. "Good match, Kumon-  
san."  
  
"Uh, yeah, you too," Ryu responded. Then he got his bearings  
back. "But don't think this changes anything, you just got lucky!"  
  
Natsume scowled. "Is that so!? If you have another challenge, I  
would gladly accept, just to show you that luck had nothing to do with  
my win!"  
  
"People, people," Nabiki interjected. "We can discuss a rematch  
later. For now, I think Kasumi has prepared a meal we could all use  
right now." "Oh, you're welcome to join us, Kumon-san."  
  
Ryu glanced uncertainly back and forth between the two girls,  
but his rumbling stomach reminded him that he could use a good meal.  
"Uhh, I suppose."  
  
Nabiki smiled. "Good. Then let's go eat!"  
  
Kurumi jumped up and down. "Yay! More food!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Late that night on the western shore of Japan, a man touched  
down in the shallows of the water. For a minute, he gazed inland, at the  
land he was supposedly forbidden to enter. Then, marshalling his will,  
he strode foreward.  
  
In his hand, an orb began to glow as he neared the shore.  
Taking a hesitant step upon dry land, he felt a strange tingling all  
over his body, even as the orb began to flare brightly. With a second  
step, his body was entirely on dry land and the tingling feeling passed.  
  
He started to chuckle then, escalting it until he was laughing  
out loud. He held the orb aloft, whose glow had dimmed to a dull red,  
then he placed it within a pouch he carried around his waste.  
  
Still chuckling to himself, Drakon entered Japan. 


	9. Chapter 9

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 9  
  
  
  
  
  
"My lady! I beg you not to go. It's too dangerous!"  
  
"I am sorry, my old friend," the lady in the bright blue kimono  
replied. "But she needs me now. I am the only one who can help her."  
  
The caretaker sighed. "But what if something happens? Is one  
life worth the possible millions that could be lost if something happens  
to you?"  
  
"If I can help save a life, and I do not, what does that say  
about me?" The lady in blue placed a hand upon her old friend's  
shoulder. "Especially if she is my own daughter."  
  
The old man smiled mirthfully. "Sometimes I wonder which one  
you really are."  
  
"I am all of them, and I am her mother."  
  
He sighed again. "Very well. I know I cannot stop you, but  
please be careful."  
  
"I will. And you will take care of this place in my absence?"  
She gestured around the room that contained a small library and the  
viewing well.  
  
"I will. Good luck to you, m'lady."  
  
The lady in blue lifted her hand into the air and her blue aura  
intensified, then consumed her. With a blue flash, she was gone.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ranma knew she was making good time and hoped she could catch  
up to Akane soon. She'd been hiking for the past several hours almost  
non-stop, but had yet to see her iinazuke anywhere. She could only hope  
Akane was moving in the same direction she was, and that that woman was  
telling the truth about where Akane was going.  
  
Her clothes had dried out long ago, but still chafed against  
her skin. This was nothing new, as her travels with her pop had her  
wearing the same thing for long periods of time. She just ignored it.  
  
Or tried too. She had learned long ago that her female body was  
more sensitve then her male one and this made the discomfort worse. Add  
to that fact that she was beginning to tire and the hot sun was making  
her sweaty, and this made for one miserable red-head.  
  
All that evaporated however, when she crested the next rise.  
Laid out before her was a small valley, but what caught her eye, was the  
dark-blue haired girl in jean shorts in the distance. She was walking  
the same path Ranma was following, but just about to enter a ravine with  
near vertical rocky walls.  
  
"Akane!" Ranma's feminine voice called exuberantly, but she  
didn't seem to hear, so Ranma tried again. "AKANE!"  
  
This time Akane stopped and turned around, scanning the  
horizon. Her face brightened when she spied the red-headed girl on the  
faraway hill, her smile growing huge.  
  
She raised her hand and waved. "Ranma!"  
  
That's when the boulder laying right next to her exploded.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tatewaki's steps were heavy as he walked down the hall, his  
mind deep in thought. It had been several weeks since he had last been  
here, and part of him had been afraid to return. Afraid, because he  
didn't really want to see his sister like.. that.  
  
Ever since he had brought Kodachi in for medical treatment, she  
had been in a world of her own. Delirious at times, unresponsive at  
others, but only minimally aware of what was going on around her.  
Despite his continued visits and his efforts to get through to her,  
Kodachi's condition never changed.  
  
Now he stood in front of the door, dreading what he would find  
inside. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
And became utterly astonished at what he saw. Kodachi was  
laying on her bed as usual, but a beautiful woman, who looked to be in  
her thirties, sat on the bed by her head, stroking his sister's hair  
gently.  
  
She was clad in a brilliant deep blue kimono, her long black  
hair tied in a light blue ribbon and draped over her shoulder. She  
appeared unaged when compared with his last memory of her, but Tatewaki  
Kuno recognized her instantly.  
  
The woman turned to gaze lovingly at him. "My son..."  
  
"Okaasan!?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A single pebble landed in the small pond, rippling the once  
quiet waters. The effect continued for quite some time before calming  
once more. Before it could completely return to normal, however, another  
pebble joined it's cousin in the watery depths, restarting the rippling  
process.  
  
Ukyo couldn't help but see the pond as a perfect analogy to her  
life. She lived a quiet life for the first few years, before the first  
pebble was tossed into her pond, the pebble's name being Ranma. He was  
the first real friend she could remember and she enjoyed the time they  
spent together as children, running and playing. Her life was carefree  
and, for a time, she was happy.  
  
But then, Ranma left her, even though her father had told her  
she would spend the rest of her life with her childhood friend. That was  
the second pebble, and things started to get worse from there as her  
other schoolyard peers made fun of her.  
  
The third was when she finally caught up to Ranma ten years  
later and became infatuated with him. Her life went through many ripples  
then, but she got through it by telling herself it would be worth it  
when Ranma finally married her.  
  
Then the fourth came along, but it was more of a boulder than a  
pebble. Ranma loved Akane. Akane loved Ranma. Ranma didn't love Ukyo.  
Eleven years of her life were wasted for nothing. She couldn't beat  
Ranma and she couldn't marry him. What was left for her? Regardless, she  
went on living, trying to rebuild her life.  
  
Now her father was dying and he wanted her to run the business  
he created. Her face distorted in anger.   
  
Another pebble was violently thrown into the pond.  
  
"I thought I'd find you here, little one," came a deep baritone  
voice.  
  
Ukyo looked up, even though she recognized the voice. "Uncle  
Yoshiro? What are you doing here? How did you find me?"  
  
He chuckled lightly, even as he took a seat on the log next to  
her. "You aren't the only one to come to this place when you have much  
on your mind. Your father and I used to frequent this pond as kids."  
  
"You did?"  
  
He nodded. "We both had big dreams back then, of how we would  
became the most famous chefs in Japan and make lots of money." He  
allowed his smile to fade.  
  
Ukyo frowned. "He wants me to take over his business, uncle!"  
  
"What's so bad about that?" he asked her.  
  
"It's his!" she practically yelled, frustrated. "As if he thinks  
this will make up for years of neglect. He all but abandoned me!" She  
sighed and her voice became quieter. "It also means I would have to move  
away from Nerima and I don't want to do that. I want to make my own  
place in life."  
  
"Then nothing more need be said," he told her. "You are right  
and he is wrong."  
  
Ukyo blinked, not exactly expecting that response from him.  
Then a thought struck her. "Wait a minute, why didn't dad turn his  
holdings over to you?"  
  
Yoshiro sighed heavily, giving Ukyo the impression that he  
seemed much older. "We had a falling out many years ago." He paused.  
"No, it actually began much earlier than that. I seemed to have all the  
luck in the family. My business boomed and I was able to start several  
restaurants right away. While we were both married at practically the  
same time, my wife lived while his died." Ukyo could see the sadness in  
her uncle's eyes, as well as regret.  
  
"Your father began to resent me and my accomplishments," he was  
saying. "Even now, he dislikes me enough that he won't allow me to take  
care of his business, instead turning it over to you." He fixed his  
niece with a steady gaze. "But you know what? I still love him, because  
he's my brother. He's all that's left of my blood family."  
  
Ukyo slowly digested all of this in the several minutes of  
silence that followed. she wondered.   
  
Yoshiro stood up and began to move off. "Remember what I said,  
Ukyo-chan."  
  
He took several more steps before Ukyo came to decsion. "Uncle,  
wait! I... I have an idea."  
  
  
  
  
  
Akane was tossed against the ravine wall with the force of the  
explosion. She yelped weakly in pain as she hit, but it didn't hurt as  
much as a good kick from Ranma. She recovered and stood ready while the  
dust cloud thinned, revealing the shirtless, muscular man with the top-  
knot that Ranma was fighting in the truck before.  
  
"You again!?" she said disbelievingly. "What is it with you  
people!?"  
  
"Give up, little girl, and it will go easier on you," he told  
her, cracking his knuckles and flexing his huge biceps. "It is useless  
to resist."  
  
Akane scowled. "You want me, come get me!"  
  
"Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you." Then he was  
moving, charging forward with a fast straight punch that would have  
nailed Akane, had she let it.  
  
The raven-haired martial artist twisted to the side, letting  
the right-handed blow brush by her stomach while bringing her own elbow  
down on his. There was a *crack* upon contact, then a second one when  
she planted her fist into his face with the same arm. That stunned him  
enough for her to leap upwards, kicking up his chest as she went. She  
finished the maneuver by flipping back wards in midair and planting her  
feet against the vertical rock face behind her.  
  
With a mighty kiyah, she sprung forward, swinging her foot  
around to meet her opponent's face. He began to drift backwards from the  
facial impact, but that was countered when her foot passed him and  
reversed direction, whacking him in the back of the head and driving his  
face in the rock wall.  
  
Akane finished the mid-air assault and landed triumphantly.  
"Ha! Take tha-"  
  
To her horror, he not only survived that, he came out of it  
swinging. His quick backhanded punch nearly caught her off-guard, but  
she managed to bring both forearms up to block. Still, the brute  
strength behind the blow slammed her several feet away to crash into  
another rock wall. Stars exploded in her vision, but she managaed to  
shake it off, dropping to the ground and rolling instinctively to avoid  
the earth-shattering double-fisted slam.  
  
Earth-shattering, because the rock face literally exploded.  
  
Akane rolled to her feet, somewhat dizzily. I wonder if he  
knows the bakusai tenketsu? In the distance, she could hear Ranma  
calling her name. Then there was no more time for thinking as the giant  
turned to her with a grin on his face.  
  
"I am called Kujo," he told her. "I have trained my mind and  
body, so that I do not feel pain. You cannot hurt me."  
  
"We'll see about that!" she returned. "Tora Dokiken!"  
  
Akane's golden form blurred foreward, catching her opponent  
off-guard while she layed into him with several powerful punches to his  
midsection, finishing with an uppercut to his jaw that rocked him  
several feet into the air.  
  
His heavy form shook the ground when it hit, but he kippuped to  
his feet immediately afterward. "I told you it is useless to resist. I  
do not tire. You do."  
  
she wondered. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she needed Ranma if she  
was going to win this.  
  
Then he was attacking again, moving faster than before, though  
Akane was still able to evade his blows. She danced backwards while  
planning her next attack. Sensing the moment, she sprung forward, fists  
blurring in front of her while she rained hundreds of blows upon the  
giant. She then grabbed an arm and swung him around, her confidence  
soaring.  
  
"Moko Takabisha!"  
  
The sphere of ki caught him full-force, driving him backwards  
and cratering the rock wall behind him with his impact, a full two feet  
deep. She then blurred back in and attempted to grab his wrist again,  
but a hand closed over hers and she was locked in the giant's grip.  
  
Fear lanced through her, but that was replaced by pain when he  
flipped her over and slammed her into the ground. Akane's vision swam,  
but wasn't quite hazy enough to avoid seeing the large fist that was  
rapidly descending toward her prone body.  
  
  
  
  
  
"This cannot be! What manner of dark sorcery is this!?" His hand  
went to rest on the katana at his belt.  
  
The lady in blue sighed. "Tatchi, there magic involved, but it  
is not dark. I will explain it all to you in time, but I am here to help  
your sister."  
  
His hand slowly came off the weapon at his side. "Mother, I do  
not understand. Where hast thou been?"  
  
Her eyes were cast downward, almost as she regretted what she  
was about to tell him. "I had a duty to perform, one that required my  
absence." Her eyes came back up. "Now, will you help me with your  
sister?"  
  
Strangely compelled, he walked around to the other side of the  
bed and knelt down beside it as he studied Kodachi's serene face.  
"'Dachi..."  
  
"She is asleep," she told him. "So our best chance to help her  
is now."  
  
Tatewaki looked up in doubt while his mother grabbed ahold of  
his hands and placed them on his sister's forehead. Her hands were warm  
and tender, just like he remembered. "What-? How do we-?"  
  
His mother's face was solemn. "We must enter her mind and purge  
the demon within."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Tora Dokiken!"  
  
Akane's free hand whipped up and caught the descending fist  
perfectly, stopping it in mid-punch. Her opponent's face mingled  
surprise and astonishment, while Akane allowed herself a small smile.  
She then then shoved the hand away while bringing her feet up to clock  
her opponent in the jaw. That caused him to release her other arm, and  
Akane prepared for her final move.  
  
"Tora Sumat-su!"  
  
She took off like a golden rocket, straight up into her  
advesary. Her double-fisted punch impacted his stomach heavily, but that  
only barely slowed her down as she continued her vertical flight, taking  
the giant with her. As she rose, her grip went from his stomach to his  
arm, and she began to spin him at high speeds. At the apex of her ki-  
assisted leap she finally let go, sending the big man soaring over the  
horizon.  
  
She descended then and alighted upon the ground, dropping to  
one knee and panting heavily.   
  
The thought went unfinished as a painful force impacted her  
back side, sending her tumbling along the ground. Coming to stop, she  
agonizingly dragged her body to a sitting position, eyes widening at the  
thin, wiry man who was behind her.   
  
"So you beat Kujo," he said, while tweaking the whips he held,  
and that he had struck her with. "But that's as far as you will get." He  
allowed his teeth to show.  
  
"Now you face Daimonji."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next thing Tatewaki knew, his world became distorted,  
images and colors flowing together into one big mess. Then all went  
black. It stayed that way for quite some time, and he was becoming more  
distressed as the moments passed.  
  
"I be blind!" he exclaimed at last.  
  
A female chuckle echoed around him. "Try opening your eyes,"  
his mother's voice sounded.  
  
Kuno blinked, and the world returned to him. His mother was  
standing a few feet away, clad in the same blue kimono, hands clasped in  
front of her. But they were no longer in Kodachi's hospital room. As he  
scanned the area around him, the knowledge of their current location  
came to him.  
  
"But this cannot be!" he whispered. "Tis' the mansion, but as it  
was, not as it currently be!" The richness of the garden around them  
testified to that. Sasuke wasn't much of a gardener and Kodachi only  
tended those plants which were useful to her in her various concoctions.  
  
"That's because this isn't real," his mother told him. "This is  
merely a fantasy world that has been created for your sister."  
  
Tatewaki turned to her. "For? By whom?"  
  
"I'm hurt," a deep echoing voice resounded. "Don't you recognize  
my handiwork? I won first place at the demon art festival four years in  
a row!" The familair voice dropped to a mutter. "Of course I had to  
repeat fifth grade seven times..."  
  
"Galfgar!" Kuno exclaimed, astonished. "But I vanquished thee...  
with a little help from Saotome."  
  
"Just a little?" The demon sounded amused. "Give it a rest, boy.  
You couldn't wipe your nose without that Saotome kid."  
  
"I've had enough!" Tatewaki drew his sword. "Show thyself  
demon!"  
  
"Oh, so you want another showdown?" Galfgar sighed. "I'm afraid  
I can't do that, you know, too predicatable and all. Besides, proper  
demon etiquette requires us to send would-be heros through arduous  
hardships first." He chuckled. "You aren't the type to read the last  
page first in a murder mystery, are you?"  
  
"Silence, knave! Release my sister or thou shall feel the bite  
of my blade once more!"  
  
His mother regarded him with concern. "Tatchi..."  
  
"Geez! Can't you talk normal, boy? I've been around centuries  
longer than you, and I can speak just fine." He sighed again. "Well,  
times a-wastin'. Tell you what though, if you can find me, you can have  
your showdown, my treat! Laters!"  
  
"Wait, demon!" Kuno yelled to the sky, but there was no  
response.  
  
"Tatchi, you cannot beat him that way," his mother said at last,  
gesturing to the sword. "Remember, we're in his world, and he has no  
physical body to injure anymore."  
  
"Well then, how dost we free Kodachi?" he asked her.  
  
She began to walk toward the house, and Tatewaki fell into step  
beside her. "First of all, she must want to be freed."  
  
"Surely thou canst mean my sister wants this!?" he said,  
incredulous, indicating the fantasy world with his hand.  
  
His mother shook her head. "To her, this is very real. We're in  
her mind, remember." She pushed open the doors to the mansion. "We must  
find her true self and release it, make her see that this is false, and  
convince her to return to the real world. Only then will his hold on my  
daughter be undone."  
  
Tatewaki thought about this for a minute then, with  
determination on his face, he stepped inside the mansion of Kodachi's  
dream world.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Bwee.."  
  
"I know we've looking for a long time, but don't give up,  
Katsunishki," Akari told her friend. "Ryoga has to be around here  
somewhere, and I know my plan will work." Yet, even her faith was  
beginning to waver.  
  
Talking with her grandfather had helped to raise Akari's  
sprirts once he reminded her of a very important point that she had  
forgotten, one that could win back her love. Now, armed with that  
knowledge, she began searching for her beloved, and her rival.  
  
But after looking for several days she was unable to find any  
trace of him, even after revisiting the Tendo Dojo. So she hit upon the  
brilliant idea to become what she was looking for. In essence, she  
closed her eyes and began to wander, not caring where she was going. She  
hope to simulate Ryoga's directional problem and in doing so, end up  
running in to him.  
  
Still, even that didn't seem to be working and she was  
beginning to lose hope.  
  
She sighed heavily and draped her body over the sumo pig she  
rode, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We have to find him, Katsu-  
chan, we just have to." She closed her eyes shut to prevent the tears  
from leaking out, but was unsuccessful. "I don't know what I'd do if I  
never saw him again..."  
  
Katsunishki suddenly stopped in his tracks. His ears popped up  
and he began to aggressively sniff the air.  
  
"Katsu-chan?" Akari asked hesitantly. "What is it?" She knew  
pigs had an incredible sense of smell, even better than a dog, but the  
question was, what did he smell?  
  
His nose dropped to the ground to sniff some more. "Bwee!"  
  
Akari translated that as, "Hang on!" and did so, wrapping her  
arms around the huge collar he wore. No sooner did she get her grip,  
then the giant sumo pig took off at a rapid clip, much faster than would  
be thought possible for such a large animal. Akari held on for dear life  
as Katsunishki took her on a wild ride down the dirt road and through  
patches of forest.  
  
Just when she wondered how long he was going to run, he  
stopped. "Bwee!"  
  
"Katsu-chan?" Akari slowly let go and looked around at the  
immediate vicinity, but all she saw was scattered trees and green hills.  
When that failed to produce any ideas as to what had got into her sumo  
pig, she looked farther off.  
  
And gasped.  
  
He looked just like she remembered, minus a shirt, as he stood  
in a grassy field near a beat-up shack. Ryoga was balancing huge  
boulders on his hands as the warm midday sun beat down up him, his  
muscular chest glistening with sweat. The boulders themselves were  
bigger than Katsunishki, almost twice his size, yet Ryoga kept them up.  
And not only that, but he was steadily, alternatively, raising and  
lowering them.  
  
All this, while balanced on his right foot.  
  
The scene nearly brought tears to her eyes and immense joy to  
her heart. She quickly slid off Katsunishki and started to run towards  
him. She opened her mouth and prepared to call out to him.  
  
"Ryooooogaaa-saaaammmaaaa!"  
  
Akari stopped. That was most definitely NOT her voice. Her fist  
clenched as she recognized it and watched Sakura run at Ryoga from the  
other side of the grassy meadow, her intent to glomp him clear.  
  
The sumo pig trainer's eyes narrowed. "Stop her." Katsunishiki  
nodded and took off like a shot.  
  
Meanwhile, Ryoga had frozen at the sound of Sakura's voice. A  
look of dread appeared on his face, as well as a large sweatdrop. He  
craned his head to the right, but that only confirmed his fear: A fuku-  
clad girl with a brown pony-tail was running toward him, arms  
outstreched.  
  
Ryoga screamed like a girl, tossed the boulders away, cringed,  
and froze as he awaited the dreaded glomp of death.  
  
In dreaded slow motion, he watched, helplessly, as Sakura  
became airborne. A second before she was about to make contact, however,  
she was suddenly gone, replaced by a very large pig.  
  
Ryoga started. "K-K-Katsunishiki!?"  
  
Sakura came to rest on her butt after being bumped away by the  
sumo pig. "What-!?"  
  
"Ryyoogggaa!" came another female cry.  
  
Ryoga turned. "A-Akari!"  
  
Sakura's eyes widened, then narrowed. "YOU!"  
  
Akari came to a stop beside the stunned lost boy, giving Sakura  
a vicious gaze. "Keep your paws off Ryoga, you hussy!" 


	10. Chapter 10

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 10  
  
  
  
  
  
Ranma-onna had been delayed in her attempt to reach Akane. As  
she ran down the path towards the ravine where her iinazuke had been  
ambushed, she ran into an ambush of her own, namely, a short Chinese man  
(but twice as big as Happosai, she noted) that hopped out a tree and  
blocked her path.  
  
The yellow Chinese shirt with white lining and small fez-like  
hat, as well as the black pants, told Ranma her enemy was the same one  
who had kidnapped Akane in the truck. He held a wide blocking stance,  
preventing Ranma from running around him.  
  
"I'm afraid the path up ahead is closed, miss," he told her.  
"You'll have to go another way."  
  
"Out of the way, or you're gonna get hurt!" Ranma challenged,  
taking up an attack postion.  
  
He seemed somewhat amused. "Interesting, you wish to fight me?"  
  
"You tried to kidnap Akane!" she accused. Part of her wanted to  
beat this man into a pulp, but an even stronger part said she better get  
to Akane and make sure her fiancee was alright. "Now move!"  
  
"I'm afraid I can't do that, miss," he replied sadly. "Too much  
is at stake."  
  
Ranma didn't bother with anymore words, but instead charged  
forward with an attack designed to either incapacitate her opponent, or  
force him to move out of the way. Neither option happened, however.  
  
The pig-tailed girl found herself flying through the air back  
the way she came, surprise written on her face. She landed  
neatly, unhurt, then turned back to her adversary. His smiling  
expression caused Ranma's to darken.   
  
She charged again, leading off with the same attack, but this  
time took careful observation of how he turned her punch around and  
flipped her back into the air. This time, Ranma was ready for it.  
  
Twisting in mid-air, she tapped into her gathered confidence.  
"Moko Takabisha!"  
  
The ki-blast caught the Chinese man off-guard. Though he was  
able to avoid the worst of it, the explosion upon it's impact into the  
ground pelted him with debris and tossed him several meters back.  
  
Ranma was already moving as soon as she touched down. She came  
flying through the cloud of smoke and debris, feet poised in a lean jump  
kick. Her opponent was able to bring his defenses back up in time,  
however, and flip Ranma into the ground.   
She rolled away and sprung back at him, fists blurring at Amaguriken  
speed.  
  
Her skilled opponent somehow managed to turn away each punch in  
the barrage away, then ducked and shot both hands straight up. The next  
thing Ranma knew, she was receiving several strong blows to her  
midsection that sent her flying to the ground. She groaned as sat up  
slowly and studied her opponent, but he appeared only mildly winded.  
  
"You are very good, young lady," he told her. "I am called Wen  
Ho. May I have the pleasure of your name?"  
  
The red-head stood up slowly. "Saotome Ranma of the Musbetsu  
Kakuto-ryu. And you made a big mistake messin' with me!""  
  
The Chinese man's eyes widened in surprise. "Saotome!? But  
you're supposed to be a boy!"  
  
Ranma grinned. "Heh." She  
began to walk toward the man blocking her path.  
  
As expected, he went back into his defensive stance, awaiting  
the attack. Ranma could see the confusion on his face as she walked,  
wondering what she was up to. He appeared to grow even more nervous as  
she got closer, close enough to see the sweat starting to form on his  
brow.  
  
When Ranma had closed to within a meter, she suddenly blurred  
sideways. There was surprise on Wen Ho's face for a split second before  
he took off after the rapidly-moving girl, trying to keep her from  
getting past him.  
  
After several seconds of rapid movement, Ranma reversed  
direction, moving at top speed the back the way she came. Wen Ho  
mirrored her almost immediately, but there was a split-second gap.  
Fortunately for Ranma, that split second was enough.  
  
She sprinted around him, moving as fast as she could go and  
thankful to be a girl at the moment for the extra speed. Her foe, trying  
to stop her, lanced out with a foot that would've stopped Ranma cold had  
she been where it was targeted. Instead, she came to a dead stop,  
grabbed his foot, then lanced out with the same leg, foot blurring as it  
struck the Chinese man over and over. A final snap sent him tumbling  
away as Ranma let go.  
  
He didn't get up. "How-?" he wheezed from the ground.  
  
Ranma smirked. "I thought so. Your counters are near-perfect,  
but ya must've spent so much time workin' on `em, that I figured ya  
neglected other stuff." The smile disappeared. "I studied under a  
counter attack master for awhile. Took me several days to figure out the  
weakness in the style, though. All I had to do was get ya to attack me."  
An explosion sounded in the distance, causing Ranma to look. "You'll  
`scuse me now, gotta tomboy ta catch."  
  
Wen Ho watched wearily from the ground as the red-headed girl  
sprinted away.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The rooms and halls were all identical to the real thing, but  
the layout was vastly different. Passages didn't lead where they were  
supposed to and rooms were located in odd places. But to Tatewaki, it  
was the Kuno mansion; the old one that was destroyed during the fight  
with Galfgar, albeit much bigger. Not only that, but the interior seemed  
to be changing, creating a maze-like effect that prevented the mother-  
son pair from finding any sort of path.  
  
Tatewaki glanced sideways at his mother. She hadn't said much  
since they arrived in Kodachi's dream world and he wondered what to make  
of her. His last memory of her was clouded from when he was very young.  
Something about her going away.  
  
As he got older, he just assumed she had died. His father  
didn't speak much of her after she left and several years later his  
behavior became increasingly odd, culminating with his trip to Hawaii.  
He made the decision that after this was over he would demand to know  
where she had gone and why.  
  
The silence eventually became too much for him. "We have been  
traversing this mockery for hours! Where be my kin!?"  
  
"Patience, Tatewaki," his mother answered. "We will find her.  
Galfgar cannot hide her forever; this is her mind, after all. In time,  
she will sense our presence, and I'm hoping she will reach out to us."  
  
Tatewaki frowned. "Hoping?"  
  
Her eyes cast downwards. "If Galfgar's dream construct hasn't  
totally preoccupied her attention. You... know her better." The words  
were hard to say, since she was basically admitting that she hadn't been  
around enough to know her daughter. "Is there something that she could  
fixate on so much as to ignore everything else around her?"  
  
"No, not that I-" He stopped, realization dawning on him.  
"Saotome."  
  
"Ranma?" She had seen the crush her daughter had on the young  
Saotome boy through her viewing pool, but didn't think it was that  
severe.  
  
Kuno closed his eyes. "Aye, `tis one thing we had in common,  
that our thoughts were consumed by him. Myself with hate and Kodachi  
with infatuation."  
  
"If she were able to have Ranma, where would she take him?"  
Tatewaki's mother asked him.  
  
His visage darkened as he frowned. "Only one place." He could  
almost visualize the location.  
  
The scene around them blurred a bit after Tatewaki finished  
speaking, and one of the nearby doors grew in size, splitting in two in  
the process. Mother and son stared in astonishment at the huge double  
door set, wondering what to make of it, when the sound of faint gentle  
and carefree laughter echoed from the other side.  
  
His mother spoke while he was still trying to comprehend the  
change. "Of course, since this isn't a physical plane, simply  
visualizing where you want to go would work. Good thinking, Tatewaki."  
  
Kuno broke out of his surprise, tentatively reaching a hand out  
to the door. He stopped just short of the doorknob, as if fearing what  
he would find on the other side. He glanced sideways at his mother, who  
nodded slowly.  
  
Gathering his courage, he grasped a hold of the brass door  
handle and and pushed open the door.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
She stepped inside.  
  
The room was just like she left it. Dark except for the two  
candles, and quiet, with just the faint labored breathing coming from  
the room's only occupant. The shadows from the candles made interesting  
shadows dance off the room's dull-white shoji panels. A single dresser  
stood off to one side, that she hadn't noticed before, but even now she  
gave it only token thought.  
  
Her main concern was the dying man lying in the futon on the  
floor. Silently, she padded forward to kneel beside the bed, as she had  
yesterday. His eyes were closed and, except for the rythmic rise and  
fall of his chest, he showed no other signs of life. It was if the  
disease had already claimed most of him.  
  
"You came back." It was more of a statement of fact than  
anything else.  
  
Ukyo bit back the reply she was tempted to give. "Yes, Father."  
  
"Why?" His eyes remained closed.  
  
Ukyo closed her own eyes. "I've... thought over  
your request, and... I've decided to accept. And... I'm sorry for  
yelling and running out on you."  
  
He slowly opened his eyes to look at her, then he nodded  
slightly. "Then I will... transfer ownership to you and Kanzaka will run  
the day-to-day operations-"  
  
"No." Ukyo's fierce statement cut her father off. "I am your  
child. You are my... father. I am registered as a boy with a boy's name.  
If I am going to inherit your business, I will manage it as I see fit!"  
She fixed him with a steely glare. "That's what a son would do, ne?"  
  
Surprised by her words, he was unable to formulate a reply.  
  
Ukyo toned her voice down, determined not to end this by  
yelling and running out again. "I may not like how I was raised, but you  
are my father and I... love you." She then noticed that water had  
started leaking from her eyes. "Just this once,  
can't you... can't you say the same?" She tentatively reached out a hand  
to grasp on of her father's. It was larger than her own, but not quite  
as warm.  
  
"I..." His eyes were still wide with surprise, as if seeing the  
girl before for the first time. "I have always... loved you, Ukyo."  
  
Ukyo's own tear-filled eyes widened. "Then why...?"  
  
He closed his eyes again and sighed. "I did what I had to. I  
make no apologies nor excuses for the decisions I made."  
  
"Father..."  
  
"Now, I am feeling tired and would like to rest."  
  
"I..." Ukyo stopped and retrieved her hand from her father's.  
"Yes, of course." She stood up slowly, never taking her eyes off his  
resting form.  
  
As she walked silently back to the door, she heard his voice  
speak up one last time.  
  
"Arigato, Ukyo."  
  
She turned her head back and smiled wanely. "Your welcome,  
Father. And, thank you."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ahhh!" The skinny antagonist yelled as his back hit the rock  
wall. He was bleeding from his nose and his mouth, his body was  
incredibly sore, and both his shock whips were laying several meters  
away. He knew he had lost this fight, his opponent was just too strong.  
  
Glaring at him from the other side of the ravine bottom, Akane  
panted heavily. This latest bout had been tough and had taken quite a  
bit out of her. The whips had left several marks on her, her left ankle  
was lightly sprained, and her body was still somewhat numb from the  
electrical discharges of the whips.  
  
But she had beaten him, as evidence by his body peeling off the  
wall and hitting the ground. She beathed a sigh of relief, then winced  
as she accidentily set too much weight on her left foot.  
  
"Akane!" came Ranma's feminine voice.  
  
Akane turned and smiled at the approaching red-head, who was  
waving at her. "Ranma!" Then she frowned. Ranma wasn't waving at her,  
but was... pointing? Up?  
  
The hairs on on the back of her neck stood on end, as Akane  
ducked and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the scissor kick that  
would have taken off her head. She returned to her feet to see a woman  
with short, light brown hair and reddish-brown gi with white trim  
confronting her. Her fists were pulled to her waist, and her feet were  
stationed apart in an combat ready stance.  
  
Akane sighed noisily in frustration. "Another one!? Who are you  
people!?"  
  
"I've watched you," her new opponent said simply. "You're very  
good, just as we were led to believe."  
  
The dark-haired martial artist blinked. "Uh, arigato."  
  
The brown-haired girl smiled evilly. "But now you're worn out.  
You won't be able to defeat me." She slid her right foot back as she  
crouched a little at the waist, preparing to strike. "I am Li Chun. Give  
up now, before I'm forced to hurt you."  
  
Akane snorted, while sliding into her own stance, injuries  
temporarily forgotten. "Fat chance!"  
  
"Very well, Hyaaa!"  
  
In the next instant, the two girls clashed, beggining combat  
anew.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Kodachi!"  
  
Tatewaki's sister looked lazily up at him. "Oh, brother dear,  
how nice of you to visit!" She snuggled up to the other person in the  
huge, four-poster bed with her. "Aren't you going to congratulate me on  
my marriage?"  
  
"Sister..." The elder Kuno boy stared darkly at the pig-tailed  
boy. He may not hate Ranma as much as he used to, but he still didn't  
like him much, either. After all, he took Akane away from him. "This...  
isn't real."  
  
She looked at him strangely. "What are you saying, oniisan? Of  
course it's real! My Ranma-sama has finally admitted his feelings for  
me, just like I knew he would!'  
  
"But he does not really love you!" Tatewaki protested. "You  
yourself knew that, even in the real world!"  
  
"Shut up!" she hissed at him. "And go away if you're going to be  
this way."  
  
Tatwaki felt his mother move around from behind him, then saw  
her gaze sadly at his sister. "'Dachi.... How I have missed you."  
  
Kodachi recoiled in near-terror as she hid behind Ranma,  
pulling the bedsheets up around them. "Wh-who are you!? Go away!"  
  
"Surely you recognize our own mother, `Dachi?" Tatewaki asked.  
  
"NO!" Kodachi screamed. "SHE IS NOT MY MOTHER! Mother was an  
ugly, useless troll that abandoned us a long time ago!"  
  
The kenodist glanced sideways to see his mother visibly recoil  
from the outburst, shame on her face. He had held the some of the same  
feelings as his sister, but not to the same degree. He did feel that  
their mother had abandoned them, but he he really wanted to know why.  
Unfortunately, this was not the time.  
  
"Imoutosan, listen to me, this world is not real! Galfgar  
created it to keep you trapped in here!" He strode up to the side of the  
bed and took his sister's trembling hand in his. "Come, `Dachi. Come  
back to us. Your family and friends await you on the outside..."  
  
She snapped her hand back, anger on her face. "I have no  
friends! Commoners fear me, as they should, but they are not my  
friends!"  
  
"Perhaps it is time to change that," he told her. "I had no one  
to call friend, either. But that has slowly begun to change for me. It  
is has been... rather pleasent. It can be that way for you, too."  
  
The mistrust and anger still shone in her eyes, but Tatewaki  
could see the hope and longing building in them as well. She had been  
alone too along, as he had been, and now those needs were finally coming  
to the surface.  
  
"No, no, no, no," a new, gruff voice commanded. "Why would she  
possibly want to go with you when she's got everything she needs here?  
She's got her Ranma-sama 24 hours a day, and no worries or hassles from  
anyone else. If she wants friends, I can buy her a few!"  
  
"But it wouldn't be real," Lady Kuno said. "All you offer is  
illusions and trickery, but the price is too high. She would lose her  
body to you, and eventually, her soul as well. True friendship and love  
is earned. There are no shortcuts, nor any worthy subtitutes."  
  
"Oh please," the voice commented. "You sound like a bleedin' PBS  
special."  
  
Kodachi glanced back and forth between Ranma, Tatewaki, and her  
mother, confusion written over her face. "Ranma-sama...? I... I don't  
know what to do... I don't understand."  
  
"Think, my daughter, and decide for yourself." The Kuno  
matriarch took several steps towards the bed and gestured toward the  
fake Ranma. "Do you want a man to love you just because he's made that  
way? Or would you rather have him love you of his own free will?"  
  
"I... want..." Kodachi mumbled, becoming more distressed and  
confused by the moment. "But... Ranma-sama..."  
  
Tatewaki knelt by the bed, taking his sister's hand in his own.  
"You are many things, `Dachi, but I have never known you to settle for  
anything that wasn't of the finest quality. You have also never been a  
quitter." Her black eyes gazed uncertainly into his own. "Do not give up  
on us. Please."  
  
"You've got everything you could possibly want!" Galfgar  
offered, enticingly. "Your Ranma-sama, a fancy house, a cushy room with  
a view, and I even threw in a satellite dish! 784 channels for your  
viewing pleasure!"  
  
Kodachi glanced back up at the image of the smiling Ranma,  
looking for some answer, but seeing nothing. Tears began to appear in  
her eyes. "It's... not... real."  
  
"Oh come on, does it really matter?" said the exasperated demon  
figment. "Isn't just being happy the most important thing?"  
  
Her eyes clenched shut, as she tried to cut off the sob that  
welled up from deep within her, and failed. "IT'S NOT  
REAL!" With that scream, the scenery around them shattered, plunging  
them all into darkness.  
  
"We did it, sister," Tatewaki exulted, while cradling his still  
sobbing sister, who was now clad in a leotard. "You did it."  
  
His mother shook her head. "Not yet. We still have to escape."  
  
Kuno blinked. "What-?"  
  
"Dang it all!" the much-disliked voice rang out. "Now why'd ya  
have ta go and do that? Can't a demon get any breaks around here?"  
  
Tatewaki scowled, then handed his sister off to his mother,  
drawing his bokken in the process. "Foul demon! Thou hast taken  
advantage of the noble house of Kuno for the last time! As heaven is my  
guide, I shall send thy hated carcass back to the hells that spawned  
thee!"  
  
Galfgar sighed. "Oh, all right, already. You want your  
showdown, you can have it." The blackness seemed to ripple, then his  
grisly blood-red arm pushed through the emptiness, followed by the rest  
of his body.  
  
To Tatewaki's eye, he looked much the same as during the fight  
at the Kuno estate. Sharp bone spikes protruded from his back, arms, and  
legs, and his face was that of a disfigured mutt, topped by two white  
horns. He was just as ugly as the young Kuno boy remembered.  
  
"Truly, thou art the most hideous creature mine eyes have yet to  
behold!" the kenodist remarked.  
  
"Truly, thy speach is the most backwards my ears have ever  
heard!" Galfgar mimicked. He flipped a quarter at Kuno. "Buy yourself a  
modern dictionary, boy."  
  
Tatewaki's anger rose several notches, then he screamed and  
attacked. "One hundred strikes! TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!" The bokken blurred  
as it intercepted it's target. The evil creature took several strong  
attacks, then exploded into bits and pieces. Kuno stopped and held his  
weapon in a triumphant pose. "I am victorious!"  
  
That was when he felt the tap on his shoulder. "Huh?"  
  
Galfgar's ugly face greeted him. "Dream on, stick-boy." *POW!*  
Kuno went flying away from his opponent's mighty punch. "This isn't the  
real world and I control half of this mind already."  
  
Tatewaki Kuno struggled to his feet. "I fight on!"  
  
"Of course you do," the beast remarked. "This wouldn't be much  
of a showdown if you didn't."  
  
"Silence! HA!"  
  
Kuno slid in slower this time, planning each strike  
caustiously. He thrust and sliced all over the place, but couldn't seem  
to land a single blow on his grotesque advesary.  
  
*POW!* The Kendoist went ballistic once more.  
  
Kuno's mother watched all this from the sidelines, worry etched  
on her face. In her arms, Kodachi's sobs were fading, but she still  
wasn't that calm yet. Lady Kuno pulled back slightly from her daughter  
so she could look her in the eyes.  
  
"Daughter, you must listen to me," her mother told her  
soothingly. "Your brother needs your help."  
  
Kodachi stared at her mother, tear-streaks down her cheeks.  
"'Tatchi...?"  
  
"Only you can help him now, for this is still your mind." She  
brushed the hair back from her daugther's face, relishing the touch  
after so long. "Take control!"  
  
"Okasan..." The leotard-clad girl studied her mother's face,  
still not quite believing it was her.  
  
Then a sound made her turn her head, where she watched her  
brother attacking... that thing. As the grotesque creature batted her  
brother around, Kodachi's face twisted into anger. THIS was the thing  
that plagued her sleep with nightmares. THIS was the creature that had  
made her act psychotic. THIS was the demon that had tried to steal her  
mind.  
  
IT was going to pay.  
  
Galfgar lifted Tatewaki up, where the kendoist was smashed  
between two large pieces of bread. "Hey look! A Hero sandwhich!"  
  
"YAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHH!" With a banshee-like scream, Kodachi flung  
herself out of her mother's arms, a ribbon suddenly in her hand and  
flashing outwards. It coiled itself around a surprised demon's arm and  
tossed him into a brick wall that wasn't there a second ago.  
  
"Wazzit?" he asked deliriously while trying to get out of the  
collapsed remains of the wall. He shook off the little succubi that were  
flying around his head and stood up.  
  
The enraged gymnast was on him a second later, clubs blurring  
in her hand as she delived strike after strike to her hated enemy.  
Galfgar shook off the attack, grabbing her arm and flinging her away.  
  
"You know, missy, you're startin' to become more trouble than  
you're worth," he commented.  
  
Tatewaki was back up by now and prepared to move to assist his  
sister when he found a hand on his arm. He looked up into the face of  
his mother. "What-?"  
  
"This is a fight only she can win," his mother told him. "We  
must let her fight it alone."  
  
"DIE!" Kodachi snarled in return. The air was suddenly filled  
with hoops, angling toward the surprised demon.  
  
Galfgar did the tokyo shuffle as he danced around wildly,  
trying to avoid the lethal razor-like objects as they swirled around  
him, removing some of his bone spikes. He fired off several shots of his  
blood-red energy beams in reply, but found them all intercepted with  
exploding balls.  
  
Kodachi smiled evilly (which made even a demon shudder). "This  
is my mind, vile dog." A dozen ribbons exploded into existence around  
around her as they streaked toward their target.  
  
The attempt to dodge them met without success, as the sticky  
fluid they secreted had him rooted to the ground. The rest coiled around  
his arms, legs, and body, wrapping him in a new ribbon suit.  
  
Galfgar groaned. "Oh, ya gotta be kiddin' me. When the other  
demons here that I was beaten by a gymnast wielding pink frilly  
ribbons... I'll never live it down." He looked up to see his enraged  
opponent approaching, twirling two more of the razor hoops. "Oi, at  
least other demons that fought girls were beaten by blasts of fire,  
lightning, and such." He turned thoughtful for a second. "Of course,  
there were quite a few that were sliced in half by a tiara...  
  
"Don't worry, dear," she said in mocking tones, readying her  
deadly razor hoops. "I'll cut you free! OHOHOHOHO!"  
  
His ears drooped, as his lower lip quivered. "Mommy..."  
  
"You have a choice, demon," Lady Kuno informed him. "You can  
take your chances with my daughter, or I can exorcise you back to your  
own plane."  
  
Galfgar glanced wildly back and forth from mother to daughter.  
"But, if I run away now, the other demons won't let me hear the end of  
this, and-"  
  
"You know as well as I," she said, "That if your astral body is  
destroyed here, you will simply cease to exist. And the explosion of  
your astral energy could damage Kodachi's mind." The psychic backlash  
might make her daughter truley mentally disturbed.  
  
Galfgar took a last look back towards the approaching gymnast,  
hate, death, torture, murder, and many other nasty things reflected in  
her eyes, and made his decsion. "Alright, but step on it, lady!!!"  
  
Lady Kuno nodded, then raised her hands into the air and began  
to draw symbols into the air. Her fingers left red trails where they  
passed, as she started to dance around the creature' s prone body.  
Tatewaki stared in wonder, while Kodachi halted her murderous advance in  
surprise. They watched as she not only danced around the demon, but over  
and under him as well!  
  
Finally, when a sphere of runes were enscribed around Galfgar,  
Lady Kuno clapped her hands once and spoke one word. "Begone!"  
  
The sphere glowed brightly, then flashed. When the light died  
down, Galfgar was gone. The middle-aged woman collapsed to her knees.  
  
"Okaasan!" Tatewaki strode rapidly to his mother's side. "Are  
you injured?"  
  
"Just over-exerted myself a little," she replied. "I'll be fine  
in a few moments."  
  
Her son nodded. "Then, I am relieved."  
Both glanced up at Kodachi, who was still frozen in place. She  
still looked like she didn't have a clue as to what had just gone on,  
nor any idea of what to do. She was nervous, scared, unsure, angry, and  
confused all at once. She no longer felt obsessed, and she could think a  
little clearer, but her confidence had dropped off quite a bit. She had  
been ready to kill a minute ago, but now the hate had dimmed. Or maybe  
it had just switched targets?  
  
She watched as her brother helped her mother to her feet,  
wondering what to think. As far as she could remember, her mother had  
abandoned them 12 years ago. She had held plenty of blame for her mother  
for the way her family turned out after that. It wasn't always on the  
surface, instead simmering silently underneath. But to know now that it  
was that... horrid thing that was responsible for her family's madness.  
  
What reason did she have to stay angry at her own mother?  
  
She took one step, then another, and soon she was running into  
her mother's arms. "Okaasan!"  
  
The Kuno matriarch ger her daughter a loving squeeze. "'Dachi,  
how I've missed you." She then looked up at her son, holding out an arm  
to him as well.  
  
Tatewaki glanced at the proffered arm with some trepidation,  
but gave in to the moment and joined his sister and mother in the group  
hug.  
  
The scene around them dissolved, the blackness fading away to  
be replaced by the hospital room where their actual bodies were. They  
were still in the same group hug as before, tears running down the  
female's cheeks.  
  
It was at that moment that Tatewaki happened to glance up and  
out the window, to where an oddly dressed figure was heading towards  
them. He watched, fascinated, as the strange muscular man in dark green  
plate armor raised a hand and pointed it at the trio.  
  
In the next instant, the window and wall exploded.  
  
  
  
--------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
She's baaaaaaack! How's that for the return of Kodachi? *grins* I hope  
all you Kodachi fans are happy with it. Expect to see her more often  
now, and be surprised at the new life she makes for herself. It may not  
be what you're expecting, but I guarantee you'll like it. 


	11. Chapter 11

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 11  
  
  
  
  
  
"HUSSY!?" Sakura screeched. "Ryoga-sama is mine! I won him fair  
and square!" She smirked. "Or don't ya remember the challenge?"  
  
Akari took a deep breath, controlling her anger the way she had  
for the past several years. "The challenge has yet to take place, since  
the correct participants were not involved."  
  
The fuku-clad girl's brows furrowed. "Whattya mean, `correct  
participants'? You were there!"  
  
Ryoga watched as Akari smiled as evil a grin as he had ever  
seen on her. "I mean, all the fights and challenges in my family are  
fought not by us, but by the sumo pigs we train." She fixed Sakura with  
a hard glare. "If you want Ryoga, you have to beat Katsunishki." She  
indicated said sumo porcine.  
  
When she finally returned home and told her grandfather what  
had happened, he had asked her why Katsunishki didn't fight. Akari  
couldn't think of why, other than she wanted to smash this girl with her  
own hands. Her grandfather told her that the pigs they raise, are used  
for far more than just tournaments. They were friends, protectors, and  
an Unryuu's best weapon. While one man would wield a sword, and Unryuu  
uses a sumo pig.  
  
Sakura went white. "A p-pig!? You want me to fight a disgusting  
PIG!?" Ryoga winced, badly. "B-but... but..."  
  
"Of course, you can always back down," Akari offered snidely.  
  
The other girl glanced back and forth from pig, to girl, to  
Ryoga. As she gazed at the bandanna-clad boy and his bare, glistening,  
muscular chest, she realized why she had wanted him so much. Her resolve  
hardened. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get! I'll beat  
your stupid animal, then Ryoga-sama shall be mine!"  
  
Said prize was still nervously watching all this going one, but  
couldn't do much more then stare. Some basic male instinct told him that  
getting in between two feuding girls was a Bad Thing.  
  
On the other hand, he had never seen Akari so determined, in  
control, focused, and sure of herself, and it was an incredible thing to  
see. To Ryoga, in her tight jeans and cotten blouse, she was suddenly  
very sexy. He had to fight to control his blush, but was unable to hide  
it all.  
  
Neither girl noticed, thanfully, so intent on each other they  
were. They nodded to each other, then walked out into the middle of the  
field and prepared to do battle once more.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ranma (still female) was closing in on the ravine when she saw  
the female fighter descend on Akane. She yelled and pointed upwards  
vigorously in order to warn her fiancee of the danger, and was relieved  
when Akane rolled out of the way.  
  
Then she was stopped as two more people materialized right in  
front her, blocking the entrance to the ravine. "What-?"  
  
They were a study in contrasts, it seemed. One was an older  
gentleman wearing a faded tan robe, tied with a simple brown belt, and  
holding a gnarled walking stick. He had a long gray beared that matched  
his gray hair. The other appeared young, slightly younger than Ranma,  
with short, wild, black hair and dressed in faded pants and T-shirt.  
  
The older one spoke. "This does not concern you, young lady.  
Please cease your interference, for you cannot know what is at stake  
here."  
  
"Look, pal," Ranma snarled. "All I know is you're tryin' ta hurt  
Akane, and that ain't gonna happen as long as I'm here!" She slid into  
an agressive stance, preparing to bulldoze past these two new people to  
get to her iinazuke.  
  
"Let's just silence this broad now, Hajime," the younger one  
suggested arrogantly. "It'll make our job a whole lot easier!"  
  
"We do not use lethal force unless it's necessary, Takao,"  
Hajime reprimanded his younger charge. Takao huffed and crossed his  
arms, but did not reply. "Now then, miss, if you insist on going any  
farther, we will have to stop you."  
  
"You can try all you like, but I'm goin' through whether ya like  
it or not!"  
  
Hajime closed his eyes and sighed. "So be it. Teleport." Ranma  
blinked as the old guy faded and dissappeared.  
  
"Hey, chick, think fast!" Takao's crossed arms were thrown  
forward, and the very air between the two seemed to ripple.  
  
Then Ranma was hit by something, hard, that tossed her back a  
dozen yards. She recovered and kippup'ed back to her feet. She sprinted forward,  
preparing to strike before her opponent could do another one, but was  
too late.  
  
Takao threw his arms forward. The air rippled like before, but  
Ranma managed to flip sideways out of it's path. "HAH!" A second  
distortion impacted the pig-tailed girl, sending her back down to the  
ground, but she noticed something that time.  
  
Ranma thought  
incredibly.   
  
She flipped to her feet, then blurred sideways just in time to  
avoid a fourth attack. A fifth attack was similiarly avoided as Ranma  
zig-zagged back and forth at top speed. The terrain around the entrance  
to the ravine was being torn up badly from where the invisible  
concussion waves touched the ground.  
  
"I got you now!" Ranma proclaimed as she blurred sideways yet  
again, then leapt into the air, gathering her own confidence. "Moko-"  
  
"AUGH!" Takao threw both hands up and to the side, and the air  
rippled once more, though this was slightly different. Instead of the  
blast being in a concentrated form, it expanded outward in all  
directions from the youth, moving faster than Ranma could deal with.  
  
The wave hit her before she could finish her own ki-blast,  
disrupting her concentration and sending her crashing back down into the  
dirt. She rolled out of the way of the follow-up attack and sprung to  
her feet, albeit slower than she would've liked. She immediatedly  
crossed her arms in front of her face and braced herself.  
  
The distortion wave slammed into her, but she pooled all of her  
strength into her defense and came through with minor damage. Still, she  
knew she couldn't keep this up for much longer. He was firing off those  
things way too fast, and there was no way she could close with him.  
  
And since he was standing in the entrance of the ravine, there  
was no way Ranma could get by him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tatewaki instinctively grabbed the two women and yanked them to  
the ground as the window exploded, taking much of the attached wall with  
it. As the dust settled, he checked himself for injuries, then his  
mother and sister. His mother informed him that she was fine, aside from  
being a bit weak at the moment from the mind transfer. Kodachi, however,  
was out cold.  
  
"Lady!" came a deep male voice from outside. "I know thou art  
within. If you wilt surrender to me, I promise to make thy end quick and  
painless. If you resist, understand I cannot guarentee the safety of thy  
kin."  
  
Lady Kuno reached out with her aura, and grew deathly white  
when she recognized the man standing outside. "No..." she whispered.  
  
"Okasan?" her son questioned. "What-?"  
  
She waved him silent and called. "How can you be here? This  
land is forbidden to one such as you!"  
  
"We have our ways, Lady," he replied. "Now what is thy answer?  
Wilt thou surrender and spare needless harm?"  
  
"Never!" Tatewaki Kuno stood, causing his mother to gasp. "Thou  
shall have to stand against my blade lest I permit this injustice!"  
  
The bigger man outside seemed amused. "And what, pray tell, is  
thy name and motivation in this affair, which concerns you not?"  
  
"'Tachi, don't do this!" his mother pleaded. "You cannot beat  
him!"  
  
Tatewaki ignored her while drawing his katana. "I am yon fair  
lady's offspring! The Blue Thunder of Furinken High, rising star in the  
Kendo world, Kuno Tatewaki, age 18!" Thunder rumbled ominously in the  
distance.  
  
"A mere lad of eighteen years wishes to challenge me?" He  
chuckled. "Very well, I admire your spirit, boy. I am called Drakon,  
third of the Rogues, trusted general of my master, the exiled Shogun."  
He drew his larger no-dachi blade out of it's sheath, easily wielding it  
with one hand. "If you wish to match my steel, then so be it."  
  
"Have at you!" Tatewaki hopped through the hole in the wall and  
landed on the grass outside, katana blurring into motion. The multiple  
rapid thrusting actions generating small, but powerful wind strikes by  
sheer air pressure alone.  
  
Drakon weathered the assualt, his dark green and black plate  
mail absorbing the blows. "Hyah!" He whipped his own weapon in an  
overhead arc, bringing it down with such force that a wave of displaced  
air shot back towards Kuno.  
  
The kenoist quickly flung his sword upwards in a reverse arc,  
creating a similar wave to cancel out the incoming one. Then he paused,  
while the two adversaries took stock of each other.  
  
"I see thy skill most promising for one so young," Drakon  
commented, while running a hand through his black-green hair. "'Tis a  
pity that thy life shall not permit further study."  
  
"And I am pleased thou art no mere opponent, but a challenge  
worthy of the Blue Thunder," Kuno replied. "I wouldst almost regret thy  
death, that I must bring."  
  
Drakon nodded, while Kuno brought up his katana with both hands  
to shoulder level, pointing it at the bigger man. A second later found  
him charging forward to meet his steel against his opponent's. The clang  
and clash of blades echoed throughout the yard, as the younger, faster  
Kuno matched the slower, stronger, Drakon in deadly match of skill,  
where one slip-up could be fatal.  
  
Lady Kuno watched all this from her kneeling position in the  
mostly destroyed room, Kodachi's head in her lap. She was chaneling her  
energies into healing the young girl from the terrible ordeal she had  
been through. Hopefully, Kodachi would come around soon and the Kuno  
matriarch could surrender peacefully to Drakon before her son was  
killed.  
  
"Okasama...?" the gymnast mumbled dreamily.  
  
"Shhh, rest a bit longer, daughter," her mother soothed. "You're  
almost there."  
  
The two swordsmen flew apart from a close, rapid series of  
thrusts and parries, then Kuno imediately leapt forward again, sword  
held low. Drakon brought his own no-dachi up in a move designed to  
cleave his airborne opponent in half. Kuno managed to to deflect the  
attack so it only cut cloth, then spun and thrust his sword directly at  
the Drakon's head.  
  
The bigger man was almost caught off guard, but ducked his head  
to the side as the blade went by, cutting his right cheek. In anger,  
Drakon lanced out with the gauntlet on his right arm, smashing Kuno in  
the face and knocking the younger boy several meters away.  
  
He reached up to touch his cheek, and his fingers came away  
with blood on them. Drakon stared at the recovering Kuno boy regaining  
his feet. "No man hath been able to touch me in centuries! Methinks  
I've gone too easy on you, boy."  
  
Tatewaki managed to smile, while wiping the blood trickling  
from his mouth. "Methinks you may have underestimated the Blue Thunder's  
skill."  
  
"Underestimate this!" Drakon thrust out his right palm, and a  
light blue beam of light burst forth from it.  
  
Lady Kuno looked up from her daughter just in time to see the  
area where her son was standing, explode in a shower of debris.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ranma threw the fastest ki-blast she had ever thrown in her  
life. As a result, it wasn't as strong or as focused, but it did succeed  
in catching her opponent off-guard.  
  
Takao's eyes widened for a second before he threw himself to  
the side, the sphere of ki-charged air clipping his side and spinning  
him into the ravine wall. He recovered quickly enough, since it wasn't  
that strong, but became more fearful of his opponent. She was fast, and  
it was taking too much out of him to continue his attacks for too long.  
Fortunately, she seemed to be low on strength as well, enough for their  
plan to work.  
  
The red-headed martial artist grinned. "Got ya now!" She  
sprinted forward at top speed, hoping to catch her adversary, but was  
dismayed when Takao raised a hand. The familiar sight of the air  
rippling was her only warning. She leapt up and to the right while  
allowing her forward momentum to carry her onwards.  
  
"HAJIME!" Takao yelled suddenly. "NOW!"  
  
Ranma blinked. "What-?" The hairs on the back of her neck stood  
up suddenly, and she turned her head in slow-motion to see the old man  
from earlier materialize behind her. With sudden dread, she realized she  
had completely forgotten all about him.  
  
In one smooth move, Hajime brought his staff down on the back  
of the girl's head, and Ranma's world faded to darkness.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her.  
  
Ukyo looked up at her uncle and nodded slowly. "Yes. It's for  
the best." She looked back down at the piece of paper that lay on the  
table between them. Slowly, she reached for the pen laying next to the  
paper, and grasped it with her right hand.  
  
There was one other person with them, a short, nervous man  
named Hiroshi Kanzaka, her dad's accountant, lawyer, and assistant. "Y-  
you can't do this!" he protested for the tenth time. "Your father's  
wishes were for the business to be transferred to his heir!"  
  
Ukyo fixed him with a steely glare. "We've been over this! Dad  
entrusted his business to me and I'm handling it how I see fit. I want  
the business I create, not one that's been handed to me." She sighed. "Uncle Yoshiro is more than capable of  
handling Dad's enterprises."  
  
"But... but..." Kanzaka glanced helplessly between the two  
people, but it was clear even to him that his cause was lost.  
  
Before she could lose her nerve, and to get it over with, Ukyo  
quickly bent over and signed the paper, giving legal control over her  
Dad's restaurant business to Yoshiro. She sighed internally in relief,  
as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from her soul.  
  
"You will always have a place here, Ukyo-chan," her uncle told  
her. "You don't have to go away."  
  
Ukyo looked up into his eyes, but saw only concern and kindess  
there. "Yes, I have to. After the funeral, I'm going back to my real  
home. My only happy memories here are of my short time playing with Ran-  
chan. I've made a new start in Nerima with new friends." Her thoughts  
turned to Konatsu, the Soyokaze siblings, and even Selah. She then  
thought of the Saotomes and the Tendos. There was a lot of pain and  
heartache there, but in the end, they had been better to her than her  
own father had.  
  
Yoshiro smiled at her. "Well, don't hesitate to call me if you  
need help."  
  
The chef who was the last in her family, stood and hugged her  
uncle. "I won't. And thanks, for everything."  
  
"Anytime, Ukyo-chan."  
  
  
  
  
  
Genma and Soun looked up from their shogi board as the  
explosion sounded in the distance. On the horizon, a large plume of dark  
smoke floated upwards.  
  
"I wonder what's going on, eh Saotome?"  
  
Genma pushed his glasses up. "Whatever it is, Tendo, you can be  
sure it's not bound to be good."  
  
Soun nodded. "Indeed."  
  
There was a sudden clatter from the Tendo estate's front gate,  
as if the doors had been thrown open wildly. Then Kasumi's voice could  
be heard answering the front door, as well as that of nervously  
chattering man. Genma and Soun glanced questionably at each other.  
  
"Father, there is a man here for you!" Kasumi's voice echoed  
over the pattering of feet running down the hall to where the two men  
sat.  
  
The visitor burst into the room and dropped to his knees beside  
Soun. "You've got to help us, Tendo-san!" Soun recognized the man as  
Hidenori Iuchi, from the town council where Soun also held a seat.  
  
"Calm down, Iuchi-san," Soun replied. "What seems to be the  
problem?"  
  
"A fight has broken out near the Nerima Psychiatric Medical  
Ward!" He blurted out. "The Kuno boy and another man are fighting with  
swords and are causing a lot of destruction! The other one is a huge,  
strangely dressed man in black-green armor and wielding a No-dachi one-  
handed!"  
  
Soun raised an eyebrow at Genma, who responed with a nod.  
Wielding a blade that could be up to 8 feet in length one-handed meant  
the man was incredibly strong, and therefore dangerous.  
  
While fights in Nerima were becoming a common thing, the town  
council had begun applying pressure (read: begging and pleading) to Soun  
to help reduce the damage. After all, the last major fight involved  
three girl's who leveled a citizen's house, reducing it to rubble. Of  
course, that house belonged to one Nodoka Saotome, who's husband and son  
were martial artists, so she didn't raise a protest.  
  
However, several other citizens did.  
  
"Looks like we have a job to do, Tendo," Genma said solemnly,  
standing.  
  
Soun rose as well. "Indeed, Saotome." He turned his gaze to  
Hidenori. "Do not fear, for we shall take care of it."  
  
"Oh, thank you!" the councilman replied, doing an eerie  
impression of a grateful Soun wail as the two men dashed out to the  
dojo.  
  
"Would you like some tea, Iuchi-san?"  
  
Hidenori suddenly found a tray with a cup of tea in front of  
his face. Come to think of it, his mouth did feel rather dry, and  
everyone knew that Kasumi Tendo made excellent tea.  
  
"Um, arigato." He grabbed the cup and downed in in alomst a  
single gulp. Immediately, he began to feel much more relaxed and calm.  
"Arigato nasai."  
  
Kasumi smiled. "Your very welcome. Pardon me for saying so, but  
you do look a bit tired. Would you like a room to rest?"  
  
Hidenori yawned, suddenly feeling very tired. "Yes."  
  
*Thump!*  
  
"Oh my!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Genma waited outside the dojo while his old friend changed into  
his armor. He didn't know why, but a sense of apprehension continued to  
veil his other feelings at the moment. When going into battle normally  
there had always been a slight feeling of apprehension, but a much  
larger feeling of excitement always dampened it.  
  
But this was different. Inexplicably, he was nervous and  
anxious, and he couldn't figure out why. What was different about this?  
It would just be another martial artist fight in Nerima. Surely nothing  
bad would happen, right?  
  
True, most of the battles lately had been more dangerous.  
Saffron, the mage clans, the Amazons; they had all been very close  
fights, and things could have ended badly. What made the difference  
then? Why did they come out alright in the end?  
  
The answer came to him almost immediately.  
  
Ranma and Akane. It had always been those two, in one way or  
another, that had turned the tide. Ranma had beaten Saffron, Akane had  
helped free them from Garon and had brought Krynn to his knees, then  
Ranma was able to best a powerful Amazon warrior, almost equal in  
strength to Cologne.  
  
And then there was that bit Nabiki had let slip of them  
defeating sort sort of... demon?  
  
"I know that look, Genma," came the worried voice of Nodoka. It  
didn't sound any different than her normal voice, but Genma knew his  
wife. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, No-chan," he lied. "Soun and I are just going out to  
help stop a fight before too much property damage is done."  
  
She shook her head. "You're lying to me. Why? I thought you had  
improved beyond this. You've been doing so much good."  
  
Genma's face fell. He knew she could always see through him, so  
what could he say? "I don't really know. I just feel..." He shrugged,  
unable to put words to it.  
  
She tapped her chin lightly. "Something's different about this  
battle." She got a sudden chill at his return shrug and inability to  
return her gaze. Her hand flew to to cover her mouth. "Tell me you're  
coming back, Genma. Please promise me you're coming back!"  
  
His head came to stare at her even as his eyes widened. "Y-you  
want me back? I-I thought-"  
  
"Of course I do," she told him. "I just wanted the old Genma  
back. The one who's heart was in the right place, even if it didn't turn  
out right. The one who helped out where he could, including a young girl  
who was unwanted by her family." She took the two steps that seperated  
them and placed a hand on his cheek. "I have never stopped loving you,  
husband. But when I thought you didn't love me anymore, I turned all my  
attention to our son."  
  
Hesitantly, he reached a hand up to cover her own, from where  
it rested on his cheek. "No-chan, I-I do still love you, and I promise  
to come back, just like I always do."  
  
She smile and nodded. "Good." She retrieved her hand and lost  
the smile. "Now, where is our son? He and his fiancee have been missing  
since yesterday. I hope nothing bad has happened to them..."  
  
"If there is one thing I'm sure about, Ranma will return with  
Akane," he said confidently. "I know I have trained him well. I have not  
yet known anything or anyone that could get the best of him."  
  
"Oh, how I wish I had your faith, I-" She was interrupted by  
another explosion sounding the distance.  
  
"I need to go, No-chan. People need my help."  
  
Nodoka nodded solemnly. "Then go, husband. And know that I have  
your promise." She turned then, and walked back to the house.  
  
Genma turned as well, to face the dojo behind him. "How long  
have you been there!?" he demanded to know when he saw Soun, resplendid  
in his samurai armor, standing in the dojo doorway.  
  
"Long enough." He pointed to where smoke was rising in the  
horizon. "I think we have a job to do."  
  
Genma nodded, and the two men took off.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
From the window, Nodoka watched them go, and tried to suppress  
her own bad premontion that said she might not see her husband again.  
But what could she do about it? She glanced at the wrapped bundle in her  
arm, a strange idea popping into her head.  
  
Maybe there was something she could do, after all.  
  
  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Say what you will about Genma and Soun, there have been times when they  
leapt into action instead of avoiding it. They're not always the whiny  
cowards that many fanfics would lead you to believe. They have even  
stood up against Happosai before and managed to hold their own. Also,  
Genma DID make Ranma out to be an excellent martial artist, as well as  
inventing two powerful schools of techniques that could level several  
buildings in a manner of seconds or allow him to move and attack  
undetected(Umisenken and Yamesenken).  
  
In the end, very little actual scared them when they were determined to  
fight. 


	12. Chapter 12

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 12  
  
  
  
  
  
Deep in a hidden laboratory, an old man shuffled his slightly-  
hunched frame around the room as he gathered the needed supplies.  
Satisfied he had everything, he walked back to the large boiling pot in  
the center of the room and dumped the assorted ingredients into it. The  
purplish, bubbling liquid inside consumed it all.  
  
Satisfied, he held aloft a pole with a string attached. The  
other end of the string held a crystal orb. Like a fisherman, he lowered  
the crystal into the devilish stew until it was completely submerged.  
  
The contents of the pot began to glow, increasing into a  
brilliant white. The resulting flash of white brilliance caused the old  
man to shield his eyes.  
  
When the flare finally died down, he opened his eyes and beheld  
the now empty pot and crystall ball resting on the bottom.   
he thought to himself, his emotions a mixture of joy and sorrow.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
In another room, a library of sorts, Miyo was looking through  
several large volumes of books, searching for one in particular. This  
shelf was filled with the books Nabiki had given her, that were  
supposedly from the Kuno mansion. They were old and in pretty bad shape,  
so she had to be careful, lest she handle it wrong and lose the precious  
knowledge inside.  
  
"Have you found it yet?" Toshi asked her.  
  
Miyo let a sigh of frustration seep out. "No, and it might not  
be here." One of her mother's books referenced another manuscript that  
she hoped would be in the Kuno section, but so far, there was no such  
luck.  
  
"Is it that important?" her almost constant companion, asked  
nonchalantly.  
  
Miyo thought about. Was it? "Yeah, sorta, I-ugh!" Her speech  
was cut off as her body convulsed and she stumbled clumsily off the  
step-ladder.  
  
Toshi looked up from where he was seated at the table. He  
couldn't actually see the fortune-teller from here. "Miyo-san? You  
alright?" Concerned, he stood and walked to the section where he knew  
she was. "Miyo!"  
  
The brown-haired girl could just make out Toshi's facial  
features, before her world collapsed in on itself...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you sure, Tenma?" Ryo eyed his rival doubtfully.  
  
He nodded. "Someone's definitely been followin' us for the past  
couple of days. Good, too. Been hidin' their aura."  
  
Tenma suddenly found a curvy form latched onto his arm. "Then  
it's a good thing I have you to protect me, Tenma-sama."  
  
The martial-artist sweatdropped in nervousness, especially  
since his admirer was wearing a form-fitting, black bodysuit. He  
extricated himself from her grasp and darted around to the other side of  
Ryo. "Ahem! I think we should concentrate on our mission.."  
  
"What holds thee up, lowly commoner? Surely thy fortitude is  
able enough for this mild constitutional?"  
  
Tenma and Ryo groaned as the voice came from farther up the  
trail, from their fourth and last traveling companion who had insisted  
on coming along to protect his sister. Only now, he was actively trying  
to push Tenma and Konisha together.  
  
he reasoned. He  
chuckled to himself at his cleverness.  
  
The two boys trailing him looked at each other and raised an  
eyebrow, then Ryo said, "Man, he kinda gives me the creeps. He always  
like this?"  
  
"Why ya askin' me?" Tenma replied. "I haven't known him much  
longer than you." He glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky where  
several stars were already beginning to emerge. "Hey, Kuno! I think it's  
about time we make camp for the night!"  
  
He took off his pack and began to unroll his bed mat, noting  
Ryo doing the same. To his chagrin, he also noticed Konisha unrolling  
hers right next to his. He tried to ignore it for now, since there was  
something else on his mind. He motioned for Ryo to come closer and spoke  
to him in hushed tones, explaining what he planned to do. Ryo nodded,  
and started to gather up sticks for a fire.  
  
"I'm going to go catch some dinner!" Tenma called as he vanished  
into the forest. "Be right back."  
  
The Kuno siblings watched him go, Tateyama scowling at his back  
while Konisha's face showed longing, but she then switched to gazing  
lovingly at Ryo (which made said boy very nervous for some reason).  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"It looks like they're camping for the night."  
  
The other person nodded. "We should do the same." She began to  
unroll her own bedmat.  
  
Her traveling companion watched her for a few moments, then  
decided to ask something that been on her mind since the beginning. "Why  
are we doing this?"  
  
"What do you mean?" she replied, but the other girl was giving  
her a look which said, `I know you know what I'm talking about.' She  
scowled. "You didn't have to come along."  
  
The other girl snorted. "A lot of good I would have done back  
there. It seems no one there thinks a girl can fight." She shrugged.  
"Plus, I've been on my own so long, I'm not used to having anybody tell  
me what to do."  
  
"Hey, I-" Her speeched was interrupted as something suddenly  
dropped out of the trees above them.  
  
"A-HA!"  
  
"EEEK!" *WHAP!* *WHAM!*  
  
Ranko blinked. "Tenma?"  
  
"Ite..." Tenma groaned from the ground.  
  
Akara scowled. "Honestly, what was the big idea of trying to  
scare us like that!?"  
  
Saotome dragged himself to his feet. "And what's the big idea  
of following us!? Why didn't you leave with Kameko's group?" Akara's  
older sister had left the Kuno fortress with a bunch of non-combatants,  
so they wouldn't be caught up in the fighting that would soon take  
place.  
  
"Why should I!?" she retorted. "What business of it is yours  
what I do!"  
  
"You're my fiancee, remember!?" he said in mock tones. "Besides,  
it's not safe out here. What if we run into an enemy scouting party?"  
  
"I can take of myself!" She crossed her arms over her chest.  
"That's more than you can do at the moment, Mr. I-have-no-strength."  
  
Tenma threw up his arms in frustration. "Then why are you  
here?"  
  
Secretly, Akara was a little confused about that as well. Why  
WAS she here? She wasn't quite sure, but she thought it might have  
something to do with what happened on Tenma's balcony a couple of nights  
ago. The whole thing still had a dream-like, surreal quality to it. Had  
she really been about to kiss Tenma? Did she even want to? She didn't  
quite know what her feelings were, and definitely wasn't ready to deal  
with them right now, so she shoved them aside.  
  
"I was worried about you, you big jerk!" She thumped his chest  
for emphasis. "Don't ask me why!"  
  
He blinked, unable to say anything at the moment. Akara was  
steaming, either from her anger or from her admission. Thankfully, Ranko  
spoke up.  
  
"Well, since they know we're here, we might as well join the  
group." She gathered up her mat and backpack. "Come on, Akara-san." She  
grabbed her new friend's arm and hauled her off.  
  
Tenma could only stand there and watch her go.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was truly a strange lot that sat around the campfire that  
night. Though Tenma and Akara didn't say anything else to each other for  
the rest of the day, that didn't stop Ryo from clumsily trying to talk  
to her and Konisha from trying to snuggle up to Tenma. Of course, this  
meant an ensuing conflict when Tateyama tried to silence `the knave who  
dares sully the lovely Tendo Akara with his presence.'  
  
The fight was stopped before it could begin when Akara belted  
Kuno into a tree, knocking him unconscious. She then declared she was  
going to bed.  
  
Ranko, who had been watching all this with a bemused grin,  
decided to hit the sack as well. In turn, Konisha bid the boys good-  
night, leaving Tenma and Ryo as the only ones around the fire. After a  
short scuffle (settled via Junken-pow), it was decided that Tenma take  
the first watch, so Ryo reluctantly turned in.  
  
The fire slowly died to a dull, glowing red, and Tenma found  
his gaze drawn to his fiancee's bed mat. He was mezmerized by how  
peaceful and serene her face looked when she was asleep.  
  
His features immediately turned into a scowl. he thought.   
  
His thoughts turned back to another night that seemed like an  
eternity ago, when Akara had told him of her fears and cried herself to  
sleep in her arms. Why had she opened herself up to him like that? And  
what was it about her that made him want to keep her safe? Why had he  
become so angry at the thought of her married to another man?  
  
That last thought brought up the strange meeting a couple of  
nights ago where Akara brought Neko back with them. The big cat was  
around somewhere, following them, but that wasn't what Tenma was  
thinking of. All he could think of was that one moment he was pretending  
indifference, and the next Akara's warm and soft body was in his arms.  
He had never had the urge to kiss a girl before, but there he was  
feeling strangely compelled to... what? Kiss her? Why?  
  
Blinking himself back to reality, he checked the position of  
the moon in the sky and noted that it was time for Ryo's nightwatch  
shift. Why had time flown so quickly?  
  
After waking his old friend/rival/training partner, he quickly  
let sleep claim him, which postponed more soul-searching.  
  
Good thing, too; it was exhausting and getting him nowhere.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next morning was grey with low hanging clouds that  
threatened rain. It was quiet and gloomy, which fit the mood of the  
small group perfectly. They walked along single file, with the only  
talking being when they rotated who had point and who was covering the  
rear.  
  
In fact, Tenma noticed that the only sound was their footsteps  
and occasional speech. Try as he might, he could discern no chirping of  
birds, nor any calls of any forest animal. While he pondered this, it  
became clear around noon when they arrived at the next town, or what was  
left of it.  
  
Just like the town where he spent the night with Akara, Ryo,  
and Kae, this one was completely deserted. Not a soul could be seen.  
Nowhere in or around the assorted huts, could a sign of life could be  
detected.  
  
"They have fled," Tateyama declared.  
  
It was true, Tenma realized. They had been traveling close to  
the approaching line of the Dark Shogun's army. He guessed the animals,  
as well as the people, had sensed the danger and left northward, hoping  
to escape the encroaching darkness.  
  
"Spread out," he said at last. "See what you can find and use."  
  
Tateyama shot him a dark look. "Ye would rob these people of  
their belongings? I guess that is to be expected out of a lowly cur,  
such as you."  
  
Tenma snorted. "Not all of us have been pampered all of our  
life, rich boy. We make do with what we have, making use of anything we  
come across."  
  
"Tenma's right," Akara agreed. Tenma shot her a surprised side  
glance. He didn't expect her to agree with him. "If our mission is  
successful and we defeat the dark shogun's army, these people can return  
home. If we fail, this town will be pillaged and destroyed anyway."  
  
The nobleman seemed to accept it then, coming from Akara's  
mouth, and the small group split up. They searched the houses in  
silence, coming up with blankets and foodstuffs that were left behind  
when the villagers fled. Even though she knew what they were doing was a  
necessity, Akara still felt like she was robbing a grave. She gave a  
silent prayer of apology to these people and to her ancestors, that they  
would be successful in their mission.  
  
A half-hour later, after they had eaten some of the scrounged  
rice and vegetables, they regrouped at the opposite side of the small  
village and resumed their journey. This time, though, there was slightly  
more conversation. The Kuno siblings were deathly silent, however, as if  
the reality of what was happening suddenly hit them, breaking through  
their sheltered lives.  
  
For Tenma, Akara, Ryo, and Ranko, this was more confirmation of  
what they already knew, and made them that much more determined to put a  
stop to the threat the dark army represented. Soon, however, Akara broke  
off with Ranko to talk with her, as Tenma did with Ryo.  
  
"So why are you here, Ranko-san?" Akara asked her. They'd had  
some time to talk and get aquatinted back at the Kuno estate, but she  
didn't know a whole lot about the mysterious red-head.  
  
Ranko shrugged. "Wanna kick some dark shogun butt," she said  
simply, as if it answered everything. "The dark army destroyed my town  
and my adoptive family. I wanna make him pay."  
  
Akara shivered as her aura came into contact with the deathly-  
chilled one of her companion's. It was apparent Ranko was holding a lot  
of disgust and hate inside, so she tried to turn the conversation  
elsehwere. "You said adpotive? What about your real family?"  
  
The redhead shrugged again. "Don't know. Supposedly a woman  
passed through my town once, carrying me as a baby. She left me with my  
adpotive family, then mysteriously disappeared." She reached into her  
shirt and pulled out a small, flat, green object. It had a small hole in  
it, so it could be secured via a leather strap around her neck. "Besides  
the blanket I was wrapped in, I was told I had this around my neck."  
  
"It looks like a dragon scale," Akara said.  
  
Ranko smiled. "That's what I've always thought." She shook her  
head and replaced the scale in her shirt. "But there no such things as  
dragons, so I guess I'll never know."  
  
"Ranko..." The raven-haired girl placed a hand on the redhead's  
shoulder in support.  
  
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"  
  
The girl's attention was suddenly drawn forward at Ryo's shout.  
  
"What?" Tenma could be heard asking in an innocent voice. "Pig-  
boy, bacon-breath, or Mr. P?"  
  
"Teeeennnnmmmmaaa!"  
  
Akara and Ranko sighed in unison as Ryo struck out with his  
fist. Despite knowing there was no strength to it, Tenma avoided it by  
flipping out of the way. Undeterred, Ryo charged after him, swinging out  
with arms and legs, and the chase was on.  
  
"Tenma!" Akara called. "Stop picking on Ryo-kun! And don't run  
off!"  
  
But the call came too late, as the two boys had already  
disappeared into the thick bushes ahead. The two girls took off after  
them, the Kuno siblings right behind.  
  
Tenma continued to dodge and tease Ryo, knowing his old friend  
had become entirely too depressed lately. Sure enough, the release of  
anger was enough to bring the old Ryo back to the surface. The two boys  
bounded through the forest with a fearsome display of martial arts  
skills and tenacity.  
  
That is, until Tenma misjudged his landing from a jump and  
ended up tripping backwards. Ryo, sensing his rival's misfortune, struck  
out with his strongest punch. The tap didn't do any damage, but it was  
enough to complete the backwards toppling motion and send Tenma  
careening into the bushes behind him.  
  
That's when he discovered that a sharp decline existed on the  
other side. "Whooooaaaa!" His arms flailed wildy for a second while he  
balanced on one foot, then toppled backwards. An attempt to handstand  
back to his feet was foiled when his hand found an extremely slippery  
patch of grass. That in turn, caused him to begin the tumbling process  
all the way down the hill.  
  
Ryo leapt through the bushes expecting to find his foe, and  
instead finding the ground was a lot lower on the other side. He also  
happened to find the slick patch of grass as well, but managed to stay  
on his feet as he started running clumsily down the hill. A loose rock  
caught his foot a short time later, however, and sent him into the same  
type of tumble as Tenma.  
  
After their impromtu humpty-dumpty performance, the two boys  
ended up on the bottom, flat on their backs, breathing heavily, and with  
no desire to get up anytime soon. Tenma began to chuckle, which in turn  
caused Ryo to start chuckling. Pretty soon, it had progressed into full-  
blown laughter.  
  
"Tenma, heh, I oughta... beat you to a pulp!"  
  
"I'd like, haha, to see you, heheh, try it, pig-boy!"  
  
"Don't call me that!" *Bop!*  
  
The next instant found a pair of spears pointed into their  
faces. Tenma and Ryo looked up to see the owners of the spears were a  
pair of females dressed in exotic and colorful breastplate armor. The  
two women said a few words, which neither of the boys understood, but  
the intent was clear. The boys rose slowly to their feet and were  
prodded forward by the spear-wielding women.  
  
And for the first time, saw where they had ended up.  
  
As they began to tread onto the sandy beach, they gazed in  
wonder at the large ocean spread out before them. In the distance, a  
large sailing ship could be seen and two smaller boats were ferrying  
troops from it to the shore. Already, Tenma counted about forty  
warriors, mostly women, setting up camp on the beach.  
  
"Who are you people?" Tenma asked finally, his curiosty getting  
the most of him.   
  
The reply consisted of a poke in the back with a spear and a  
few words barked out in their foreign language.  
  
"For once, keep your big mouth shut, Saotome," Ryo told him  
snidely.  
  
Tenma wanted to retort, but bit his response back. Ryo was  
right; it was better to play along for now and see what was going on.  
Off hand, he wondered what happened to Akara, Ranko, and the Kunos. Were  
they watching from hiding? Or had the the two boys managed to lose them?  
  
The young Saotome's thoughts were temporarily put on hold as  
they reached what he assumed was their destination. The women escorting  
them held their spears out, stopping the two boys in the midst of the  
camp. In front on them, a woman in a white bodysuit stood, her back to  
them, and her long, deep blue hair trailing down to just past her waist.  
  
Their escorts spoke a few more words and the woman, who  
apparently was the leader, turned around and regarded the two boys with  
an even expression. Tenma was surprised to note that she didn't seem  
much older than him, and her her breastplate was swirling with blue and  
purple, considerable more elaborate than the women around them.  
  
"This girl's their leader!?" Ryo said in disbelief, echoing  
Tenma's own thoughts.  
  
"Yes, I am," the girl responded in Japenese, startling the two  
men. "I am Xian Po. I lead these brave Amazon warriors from Joketsuzoku  
to fight the darkness in this land." She studied the two boys. "Who are  
you?"  
  
"Saotome Tenma," he responded after getting over his shock. "And  
this is Hibiki Ryo."  
  
Xian Po seemed to notice something and a smile crept onto her  
face. "You are warriors, yes?" she asked eagerly.  
  
Ryo finally regained his composure and snorted. "I am, and he's  
a good imitation of one." He jerked a thumb at Tenma.  
  
"Funny, Ryo."  
  
The Amazon's smile grew to include teeth. "Good! Then we have  
match!" It was a statement of fact, not a question.  
  
"Uhhh..." Tenma responded brilliantly. He frowned. I don't really like to fight  
girls, though.  
  
"While I would like to see such a match," a familiar voice rang  
out, "I'm afraid it will have to wait, Xian Po-san."  
  
The Amazon leader beamed. "Konisha!" She bounded over to the  
approaching duo and embraced the Kuno sister. "You come back!"  
  
Ryo's eyes widened as he saw the Kuno siblings. "Where's Akara  
and Ranko?" he demanded to know.  
  
"'Tis still searching for thee, I imagine," Tateyama replied.  
"Though heaven can instill no logic that she would desire a mere peasant  
instead of my noble personage."  
  
"Ah, stuff it, Kuno," Tenma snorted.  
  
"So, why can we no have match?" Xian Po asked, stepping back  
from Konisha.  
  
Before anyone could answer, however, a ragged Amazon warrior  
burst into the setting, spouting several rapid-fire words to Xian Po in  
their native language. Tenma watched as the blue-haired girl's  
expression become alarmed, and then darken into a deadly serious gaze.  
  
She spouted off several commandes to the Amazons around them,  
then turned to her guests. "Lin Mao say a group in black armor attack  
one of our patrols. Two strange girls came to help, but they are all  
overpowered. Lin Mao says commander wants to see leader, or else he kill  
our warriors and the other women."  
  
Tenma suddenly had a bad premonition. "Did she tell you what  
these girl's looked like?"  
  
Xian Po had another quick conversation with Lin Mao, then  
turned back to Tenma. "She say one have fiery-red hair and pig-tail, and  
the other have short dark-blue hair." She noticed the looks on the boys  
faces. "They friends of yours?"  
  
"Tendo Akara and the fiery pig-tailed girl in trouble? I shall  
save thee!" Tateyama rushed off to save his damels in distress  
  
"Wait for me!" Ryo took off after him, with Tenma right behind.  
  
Xian Po shrugged and joined in the chase as the boys ran out of  
the camp, back into the forest where Kuno was using his katana to slice  
a path through the underbrush. It didn't take them long to reach their  
destination. The scene that greeted them, however, was enough to halt  
any more action on their part.  
  
A tall, ebon-haired male in a matching black bodysuit held  
Akara off the ground by her neck. She was struggling weakly against his  
grip, and it was obvious she had been hurt enough that her full strength  
wasn't available. Two Amazons were lying unconscious on the ground and  
Ranko was sitting against a tree, breathing hard and holding her  
obviously injured left arm.  
  
The dark individual in the ninja suit fixed them all with a  
chilling death-filled gaze. "If I see anyone so much as twitch a muscle,  
I will snap her neck."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was at that moment, that the dream-like vision cut off. Mio  
awoke slowly to see Toshi, Hikaru, and Ariko standing over her. She  
blinked once, and shivered.  
  
"Are you alright, Miyo-chan?" Ariko asked. "You were out for  
almost an hour. Toshi-kun was so worried about you, he called us to  
help."  
  
Miyo glanced over at Toshi in surprise, but he merely `hmph'ed  
and turned around, feigning some interest in another part of the  
library. She smiled slyly at his apparent attempt to hide his concern.  
"Thank you, but I'm fine." I think so, anyway. I saw all of that and I  
was only out for an hour? "I-I just need some rest. These visions  
sometimes take quite a bit out of me."  
  
Ariko and Hikaru helped her to her feet and guided to a chair  
in the main room where she could sit down.  
  
"Hikaru-chan, why don't you get a glass of water for her?" Ariko  
asked him with a shy smile on her face.  
  
"U-um, yeah, sure," he replied. It was still hard sometimes to  
respond to the other sex, as he had little practice in area. He left in  
search of the kitchen.  
  
Once he was gone, Ariko turned back to Myio, sitting down in a  
chair next to her. "Are you sure you're all right?"  
  
Miyo frowned. "I don't know. This is the first time I've  
received the dreams while awake." She suddenly rubbed her arms and  
shivered again. "There's something else."  
  
"About the dreams?"  
  
Miyo shook her head. "I feel... something very powerful  
nearby... and very dangerous."  
  
Ariko leaned forward and placed her hand upon the fortune-  
teller's. "How bad could it be?"  
  
The other girl locked gazes with her, and Ariko was suddenly  
frightened by the deathly serious look in her eyes.  
  
"Very, very bad."  
  
  
  
------------------------------  
  
Author's notes:  
  
By now you've noticed an irregularity. Or then again, maybe you haven't.  
Tenma keeps teasing Ryo by calling him `pig-boy', `Mr. P', `bacon-  
breath', and other such names. However, it seems that neither one is  
cursed in this timeline, so what can it mean?  
  
There is a valid explanation, but you'll just have to wait to find out  
that is! 


	13. Chapter 13

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 13  
  
  
  
  
  
It had been several days since she was brought here, and this  
was the time she was waiting for. Her wounds were mostly healed, thought  
her body was unchanged. Still, she was well enough to travel and that  
was the important thing. She desperately wanted to get away, thought she  
didn't have any particular ideas on where to go.  
  
Anyplace would be fine as long as she could get away from...  
him. It wasn't so much that she hated him, it was just the strange  
effect that he seemed to have on her lately. Practically every time she  
saw him, he was in the midst of some sort of training excercise while  
wearin nothing more than a pair of pants. He did have a nice body, she  
was forced to admit, and she always held a certain likeness for males  
who practiced martial arts very well. Something else he did well.  
  
So, the combination of martial arts excercises, minus his usual  
robe, plus the sweat from the warm sun making his chest glisten, had  
caused her own body temperature to rise. It made her want to despise  
him even more. It had to be the fault of her current body, she decided.  
  
Steeling herself, Shampoo opened the cabin door and stepped  
outside.  
  
  
  
  
The two men running through the weapons drill outside with a  
pair of staves, stopped their sparring attacks and turned as one to the  
front door of the cabin. They removed their blinfolds as the cat-girl  
approached them. She stopped in front on them, though she only addressed  
Fen Wu.  
  
"Thank you... for help," she told him in their native Mandarin.  
Speaking was still difficult for her hybrid human-cat vocal cords. "Am  
healed now and... must go."  
  
The elder weapons master nodded once.  
  
Mousse started, as she had not even acknowledged his presence.  
"S-Shan Pu, y-you..."  
  
Her glare cut him off, then she turned and strode into the  
forest.  
  
Mousse almost made to follow, when he glanced up at his sensei.  
The look he received was almost enough to make abandon that idea. He  
could almost hear Fen Wu's voice telling him not to capitulate to a  
woman, and be a beaten slave for the rest of his life.  
  
But there was something else that also stopped him from  
following. The memories of all his attempts to show Shampoo his love for  
her and her rejection of him every single time. He still loved her, but  
it had just reached the point where he was about ready to give up. It  
was becoming more and more clear that she wouldn't return his feelings.  
The thought that he was doomed to fail had finally broken through to  
him.  
  
And more than that was the fact that he had attacked her, in  
anger, something he had sworn long ago to never do. That had proved  
beyond a doubt that, in his mind, he was no longer worthy of her. He  
could have fought her anytime and beat her, then claimed her as a wife,  
but he didn't want that. He didn't want a wife that loved him only  
because he was stronger than her, he wanted her love him because she  
chose to.  
  
That's why he didn't take advantage of the incident in Jusendo  
when she was trapped in the egg. Instead, he had done what he thought  
was the right thing when he gave her the mirror. And yet she still  
seemed to despise him.  
  
Without Shampoo, all that was left to him was his training.  
  
He glanced back up at his master and nodded once, putting the  
blindfold back on. That's why he didn't see Fen Wu's slight smile of  
approval.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ranma-onna awoke grumpily and rubbed the back of her head. Her  
memories of just before she was knocked out came flooding back and she  
immediately leapt to her feet, ready to do battle. That's when she  
noticed her new surroundings.  
  
It was a steel box, about six feet from wall to wall, and from  
floor to ceiling. Two small, barred windows on opposite walls were the  
only source of light, and her only way to view the outside world. The  
sounds of fighting outside drew her to one of the windows to see what  
was going on.  
  
Her eyes widened at the scene. "Akane!" Her fiancee was  
fighting a desperate battle against a brown-haired female martial artist  
in a reddish-brown gi, and it wasn't going well. Ranma could tell Akane  
was favoring her right leg, as if her left was sprained. The shirt and  
jean shorts she was wearing were torn in several places, revealing red  
welts. There was also a nasty bruise on her right cheek.  
  
"I apologize for your current accomadations, young lady," an old  
voice told him, that Ranma recognized as coming from the one called  
Hajime. "But we cannot allow you to interfere."  
  
"Why are you doing this!?" Ranma demanded. "What has Akane done  
to deserve this!?"  
  
The old man moved so he could be seen in Ranma's limited view.  
His face was solemn. "It's not so much what she has done, but what she  
has within her. Surely you've seen, in the past few months, how powerful  
she has become?"  
  
"Yeah, but that's just `cause I've been trainin' her!" Ranma  
countered, a smirk on her face.  
  
The old man shook his head. "Hasn't there been something else?  
A technique she uses which turns her body gold?"  
  
Ranma's smirk disappeared. "Yeah, somethin' `bout her mother's  
side of the family..."  
  
Hajime's solemn gaze never wavered. "It's a ki amplification  
technique, and if it's allowed to run out of control, it could destroy  
the world."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Akane knew she didn't have much left. The girl known as Li Chun  
was as tough a a fighter as Shampoo. Normally, the raven-haired girl  
probably could've taken her, but the Chinese girl was coming in fresh,  
where as Akane had already been through two grueling fights. Her ribs  
were also a little sore, and she guessed they must be be bruised pretty  
bad.  
  
she wondered worridly. As if in reply to  
her thoughts, she heard her iinazuke's female voice call her name.  
  
Then there was no more time for thought as she ducked under a  
roundhouse kick, wincing with the pain. Still, she ignored it, springing  
up with an uppercut that clocked the other girl in the chin, sending her  
stumbling back. Akane attempted to follow up on her attack, but found  
her legs swept out from underneath her. She hit the ground hard, but  
rolled away to avoid her opponent's ax kick.  
  
Akane rolled to her feet. I could really use your help right  
now, Ranma!  
  
"You can do it, Akane!" came Ranma-onna's voice again.  
  
And that's when Akane realized something. The spark of her confidence  
reignited.  
  
Li Chun kiyah'ed and leapt forward, right foot outstretched.  
Akane didn't move, didn't make any motion to dodge. Instead, she  
gathered her ki and brought her hands up, her gold aura flaring into  
existance.  
  
"Moko Takabisha!"  
  
The other girl was helpless to avoid the attack as the huge  
blue fluorescent beam of ki-charged air, laced with gold, slammed into  
her. Akane didn't let up, but drove the Chinese girl from the air and  
into the ravine wall, cratering it upon Li Chun's impact. Only then did  
she cut the attack off, allowing the other girl's body to collapse to  
the ground in unconsciousness.  
  
Ranma's jaw nearly disconnected from the rest of her face.  
Akane had been getting better at using ki-blasts, but they had always  
been basketball-sized spheres that she had been throwing around. For the  
first time, Akane had focused all of her ki into huge Shishi Houkodan-  
like blast.  
  
The raven-haired martial artist collapsed to one knee,  
breathing heavily, as weakness overtook her. She glanced around for  
Ranma, but all she saw was an old man in a tan robe standing in front of  
a steel cube. Beside him, a youth in faded T-shirt and jeans leaned up  
against the cube.  
  
"That is why she must be dealt with," Hajime told Ranma.  
  
Another girl, who appeared slightly younger than Akane, was  
standing next to it and glancing at her with much apprehension. She had  
long black hair, and was dressed in a green gi. She almost reminded  
Akane of Kurumi, except for the hair.  
  
The old one turned to the girl. "Now, Yuni-san. She is ready."  
  
"When I get outta here, you'll be sorry!" Ranma screamed from  
inside the steel cube.  
  
The girl glanced at the old man once, and nodded hesitantly.  
Walking slowly, she approached the youngest Tendo, but her eyes showed  
her reluctance. "I'm sorry about this."  
  
Akane somehow pulled strength from reseviours she didn't know  
she had. "I'm not... beat... yet!" She stood slowly, preparing to defend  
herself if need be. "Now let Ranma out of there!" She turned to the  
younger girl. "I don't want to fight you. Stay out of my way and you  
won't get hurt."  
  
For a moment, Yuni hesitated.  
  
"Yuni-san, you know what is at stake," Hajime's calm voice said  
from behind her. "You know what has to be done."  
  
The young girl's resolve hardened as she turned back to Akane.  
She brought her arms up in an attack position, steeling herself for  
battle. Both Ranma and Akane were confused at the action, but knew that  
at Akane's current strength, she might not be able to beat the girl.  
  
"You cannot defeat me Tendo-san," Yuni told her. "Please, give  
up before you are hurt worse."  
  
"Sorry..." Akane replied, her breathing evening out some. "Not  
in... my nature... to give up." She steadied her breathing,  
concentrating. "Tora  
Dokiken!"  
  
Akane sprinted forward, moving as fast as she could go and  
yelling a mighty war cry. Her intent was the scare the girl out of the  
way, then bust throught the two men behind her and break the cage.  
  
However, that wasn't what actually happened.  
  
The young boy threw his arms forward and the air rippled in  
front him. Akane didn't bother dodging, but instead thrust her right  
fist into into as the near-invisible wave reached her, completely  
stopping her forward momentum. Her golden aura flared brightly for a  
split second, then the wave reversed itself and blasted Takao several  
meters backward.  
  
But the wave had done it's job by stopping Akane in her tracks.  
  
Glancing to the left, the raven-haired martial artist  
discovered Yuni had stepped out of the way, but she was still was close  
enough to touch Akane, and touch her she did. She reached out an arm and  
grabbed a hold of the other girl's bare forearm.  
  
And Akane screamed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
By the time Genma and Soun arrived at the scene, the courtyard  
of the mental ward was a mess. The perimeter wall had been destroyed in  
several places and the other patients were fleeing the scene. Half of  
the area was shrouded in smoke, limiting visiblity.  
  
As the duo stepped inside the grounds, they shivered, and  
that's when they realized something.  
  
Genma spoke it aloud. "It's cold. And that isn't smoke, it's  
mist."  
  
"What happened here?" Soun wondered aloud.  
  
The sounds of fighting echoed in the distance, and the two  
martial artists raced off in that direction. It didn't take them long to  
find the source of the disturbance, but it wasn't quite what they were  
expecting.  
  
First off, scattered parts of the battlefield were frozen in  
ice crystals. A huge section of the building wall was destroyed,  
reavealing a beautiful middle-aged woman in a blue kimono. She was  
apparently pleading with the huge warrior outside to spare her son. And  
across from the warrior, was Tatewaki Kuno. His left leg was frozen in  
ice up to mid-thigh, though he was attempting to chop away at the ice  
with his katana.  
  
Soun raised an eyebrow. "That women is Kuno-san's mother?"  
  
"Apparently so, Tendo," Genma replied. "And I think we got here  
just in time."  
  
"Well, time to do our job, Saotome." Soun hefted his naginata  
and pointed it at the strange warrior wielding the six-foot long no-  
dachi in his right hand. He spoke loud enough to be heard by all. "I  
think that's quite enough for one day, young man. You've done enough  
damage."  
  
Drakon turned to look at the newcomers, as did Kuno and his  
mother. "'Tis is no business of yours, strangers. T'would be best for  
thine own health to take leave, while thy hearts still beat in thy  
chest."  
  
Genma pushed his glasses up. "I'm afraid we can't do that."  
  
The big man frowned. "I hath been delayed from mine quest too  
long. If thou insists on standing in mine path, I shalt have no choice,  
but to send thee all to the abyss." He brought his left hand and pointed  
the palm at the two men. "Begone!"  
  
"Lookout!" the woman in the blue kimono yelled.  
  
The two martial artists jumped apart as a brilliant blue beam  
burst forth from the man's palm, striking the ground where they were  
standing. Ice crystals formed rapidly on the surface, and then the  
ground exploded in a blast of frozen dirt and ice shards.  
  
Genma launched his attack while still in the air. "Kijin Rashu-  
Dan!" The pair of vacuum `blades' streaked rapidly towards their target,  
but the big man parried them both with his sword.  
  
Soun hit the ground running, his naginata coming down in an  
overhead arc. Again, Drakon parried the attack and the Tendo patriarch  
was forced onto the defensive as the bigger warrior counterattacked. The  
courtyard rang with the clang of metal, as blow after blow was countered  
and parried, but Soun was losing both ground and armor. He couldn't  
block all of the blows, and his armor was paying the price.  
  
As he backed against a wall, he ducked, just as Genma barrelled  
into Drakon from behind, smashing the other man through the wall and  
into the building. Then he helped his old friend up.  
  
"That was pretty poor form, Tendo," Genma commented.  
  
Soun didn't respond right away, but instead glanced down at  
what was left of his armor. Numorous gashes had opened along practically  
every piece, and a few were now missing. "Well, it is old. As am..." He  
paused, then added sadly, "As am I."  
  
Genma realized his friend suddenly looked a lot older, but had  
no time to comment. He pulled Soun to the ground and they rolled, as  
Drakon's blade came down in an arc intended to split them both in two.  
They quickly regained their feet.  
  
"Go help the Kuno boy get free," Genma told Soun. "I'll hold him  
off." He turned and assumed an attack posture. Soun took one last look  
at his old friend, then went to help Tatewaki.  
  
Drakon hefted his blade. "Dost thou think you canst triumph  
against me?"  
  
"Come at me and find out," Genma returned, folding his hands  
down and hunching his back ever so slightly.  
  
"Very well." The warrior Rogue charged and cleaved his sword at  
Genma, but the other man faded out of sight before the blow could land.  
"What the-?" He felt a gentle breeze, then turned and saw his opponent  
calmly leaning against wall, holding a green cloak in one hand and a  
drab green breast plate laying at his feet.  
  
Drakon then realized the breeze he was feeling was because he  
was now naked from the waist up.  
  
He growled and charged once more, but Genma faded out of sight  
again, and the bigger man felt several strikes to his back.  
Unfortunately, they barely fazed Drakon, who reached behind him and  
grabbed his opponent's arm in mid-punch, then flipped him over and  
slammed him into the ground.  
  
Genma thrust his legs up into his advesary's gut, but the  
attack didn't seem to hurt the other man much. Instead, Drako picked the  
elder Saotome up by the arm he was still holding and slammed him through  
a wall. Genma then decided it was a good time for a short nap.  
  
His sword held high, Drakon prepared to finish the job. A  
flicker of movement in his peripherial vision caused him to abort the  
finishing move, however, and deflect the thrown naginata. Behind it,  
Tatewaki Kuno and Soun Tendo stood ready to fight, Soun's armor now  
discarded, leaving him in his regular brown gi.  
  
"You forgot about us!" Soun yelled.  
  
"The Blue Thunder stands ready!" Kuno challenged.  
  
Drakon growled in frustration. What was supposed to be short trip into Japan to kill the  
Lady that held his master bound, was turning into a lengthy ordeal with  
those that would presume to stand against him.  
  
His hand brushed against the pouch at his waist, and the orb  
that was within. He eyed his two opponents.   
  
He hefted his six foot blade with both hands and stalked toward  
his two opponents.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Shampoo spared a glance back as she ran throught the forest,  
expecting to see a white duck right behind her, but there was none. Much  
to her surprise, Mousse was not following her. Her brow crinkled in  
confusion.   
  
She easily leapt over a thicket of bushes and landed  
gracefully, not allowing the maneuver to slow her down.  
  
she thought. She slowly began  
to think back on all the schemes Mousse had pulled and the lengths to  
which he had gone to get her to love him, including trying to to kill  
Ranma.   
  
She nearly stopped at that last statement, because several  
images flooded her mind's eye. All of them included Shampoo trying to  
kill Akane in one way or another, and Ranma protecting Akane, no matter  
what the threat to her. The unpleasant thought suddenly occurred to her,  
that everything she did to get Ranma, Mousse did the same to get her.  
Except he didn't drug her, nor try any mind tricks to trap her into  
marriage.  
  
Her eyes clenched shut as the tears began to leak out. She sniffled.   
  
Suddenly, Shampoo felt very alone. She had no one, and because  
of her current form, she couldn't go home, either to Nerima or  
Joketsuzoku. She would be hounded as a freak in Japan. In the Amazon  
village, the girls that had been jealous of her strength would mock fun  
of her and the elders would pity her. Her status as Cologne's successor  
would drop, and it would reflect on badly her great-grandmother as well.  
  
So where could she go? Who would accept her?  
  
The answer came almost immediately: Mousse. He hadn't been  
repulsed by her appearence, and in his own stupid way, was trying to  
help her and look out for her.  
  
She violently shoved that thought out her head, since she  
wasn't ready to deal with it, and instead concentrated on her current  
surroundings.  
  
That's when she noticed she had been running on all fours for  
quite awhile, and moving very quickly at that. She stopped suddenly,  
becoming aware that while she had this body, she hadn't really  
considered what it could do. She knew she was quicker and more agile,  
but she also knew it wasn't as tough as her old human form.  
  
I think some training is in order, she decided at last. It  
would take her mind off her current troubles, and put it back into more  
familiar territory: combat.  
  
Bracing herself, she easily leapt to a tree branch and shot off  
through the forest, leaping from tree to tree.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"You want us to what!?" came the stereo reply.  
  
Yuri sighed. "I said I want you two to work together in my  
absence."  
  
Neko and Kazao looked at each other uneasily, each wondering  
whether their new clan leader had finally lost it.  
  
"Are you sure about this, Yuri-chan?" Neko asked, turning back  
to her friend.  
  
"Yes," the young Soyokaze girl replied. "I'm leaving to search  
for my brother. He's the last of my family I have left, I'm not going to  
lose him." She turned slightly to gaze out the window. "In additon, we  
both know I'll be relatively ineffectual as a leader until this matter  
is cleared up."  
  
"It doesn't matter what you find," Kazao commented. "You don't  
have the support of the whole clan to be an effective leader."  
  
Yuri shook her head. "You're right. If Neko is right, only  
about half of them will follow me, and that's just because Oka chose me  
as her successor." She fixed the elder ninja with a steely gaze.  
"However, you have the support of nearly half the clan. With Neko and  
Satsu as my representatives, if you were to work together, it would go a  
long way towards solidification."  
  
Kazao examined his fingernails casually. "What makes you think  
I won't take over completely while you're away?"  
  
"Because you know I'd bring any and all resources to bear  
against you," she told him. "We're a small clan, and a civil war would  
destroy us. I know you care about the clan as much as anyone else, so I  
know you won't want to see it destroyed."  
  
Neko nodded in admiration, and even Kazao seemed taken aback by  
the young ninja woman's stance. It seemed she had matured greatly in the  
past few days since Kenji's disappearence and Oka's death. It was a  
great change, but Neko suspected that Konatsu's support had really been  
the clincher.  
  
"Very well, for this, we are in agreement," Kazao told her  
gruffly, then turned and left.  
  
Neko watched him go with a smirk on her face, then turned to  
address her friend. "When will you be leaving? And where will you go?"  
  
"Later today, Selah, Konatsu, and I will head back to Nerima,"  
Yuri said. "We have friends there that might help us." She smiled and  
embraced the other woman. "Take care, and be sure to keep Kazao in-  
line."  
  
"I will," she replied. "You take care as well. And good luck."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Selah sat at her campsite, thinking. They were going after  
Kenji, and while that should have made her happy, something felt wrong.  
  
She had missing her mother terribly lately and wondered what  
had become of her. She did promise to be strong for her mom, but she had  
broken that promise several times already. She just felt so lost, which  
was why she attached herself so hard to Kenji. She needed someone to  
take of her and look out for her.  
  
In the few months she spent with him, it had become somewhat  
clear he didn't feel the same way about her. So maybe that's why this  
didn't feel right. Regardless of whether they found him or not, he still  
wouldn't love her, and she still wouldn't have her mother.  
  
Alone, under the forest canopy, Selah broke her promise again  
and cried. 


	14. Chapter 14

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 14  
  
  
  
  
Taking a deep breath, Ukyo emptied the contents of the urn over  
the pond. It strange, she decided, that her father would choose this  
place. Her uncle said the two of them had spent some time here as kids,  
and it was the place she had turned to for solace after Ranma had left  
with her dowry.  
  
But in a strange way, she supposed it was fitting then for her  
father to want his ashes spread here. The funeral had been short, again  
the way her father had specified in his will that he wanted it. But it  
had helped Ukyo come full circle with her mixed-up feelings towards him.  
  
On the one hand, she still hated him for the way he dealt with  
her. On the other, she loved him, because he was her father and in his  
own way, was trying to get her taken care of by engaging her to Ranma.  
But now she felt she could move on with her life.  
  
Thanks to Yoshiro's connections, she was now legally registered  
as a girl. Her father had registered her as a boy when she was left  
behind by Genma and Ranma because he couldn't deal with a disgraced  
daughter. And since he was now gone, there would be no loss of honor for  
the engagment to be declared null.  
  
she thought with a slight smirk,   
  
Her honor now satisfied, Ukyo packed the empty urn with her  
belongings and headed for what she now considered her home: Nerima.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It really wasn't fair, and it definitely wasn't pretty.  
  
"Yaaagghh!" came the girl's scream. *Thump!* went her body as it  
hit the ground once again. "This isn't fair!!!" she cried, sitting up.  
  
"You can always give up," Akari suggested.  
  
Sakura glared at her and glanced at Ryoga. It had been her  
dream to marry a strong, handsome martial artist, and now that dream was  
slipping away every time she was hit by that giant freak pig. None of  
her attacks seemed to be doing any sort of damage, but of course they  
were designed to work on humans.  
  
"I hate pigs!" she screamed. She didn't notice Ryoga wince  
badly. She dried her eyes and settled her eyes on her beloved. "Ryoga-  
chan, wouldn't you rather have me over this pig-girl?" She gave him her  
best sad-lost-big-puppy-dog-eyes, complete with quivering-lower-lip.  
  
Ryoga, having the same problem as Ranma when confronted with a  
female's ultra kawaii attack, withered miserably. "I-I... t-that is... I  
l-lo.. um.. a-heh.. I mean... I-I can't... because... I..."  
  
Akari sighed at her fiance's lack of ability to form a coherent  
sentence. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at  
it), a distraction saved Ryoga from completing his babbling thoughts.  
  
*Splash!*  
  
"Woof!"  
  
"What's that boy? Ryoga-san was out there?"  
  
"Woof!"  
  
"Oh that's right! I had him working that boulder exercise!"  
  
"Woof!"  
  
"Remind me next time to look before tossing the cleaning water  
out."  
  
"Woof!"  
  
"Right, I know I'm blind! I can't look. Heh heh."  
  
"Woof!"  
  
"Ryoga-san, are you all right?"  
  
Sakura blinked when her love disappeared following the splash  
that lightly soaked him. "Ryoga-chan?" She dashed up to where he was  
standing, but arrived a few seconds after Akari, who was picking through  
his clothes. "What happened?" She watched, horrified, as Akari picked up  
a small, black piglet and held it close to her chest.  
  
"Oh, didn't you know?" Akari asked, surprised. "Ryo-chan turns  
into this cute little piglet when he gets wet!"  
  
You could see the synapses frying in her brain, one-by-one, as  
she tried to reconcile the facts. "A p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-pig!?" she  
screeched. "He... you... what..." Her gaze flicked rapidly between an  
amused-looking Akari and a frightened Ryoga-buta. As soon as the facts  
finally snapped into place, Sakura took the only option open to her.  
  
She screamed and ran for the hills.  
  
"AAAAAAUUUuuuuggggghhhhh!!!!!" Her voice faded into the  
distance, as did the dust cloud raised in her wake.  
  
Ryoga sank back into depression at the fact that his pig form  
was detested, but that was tempered by the relief he felt that she was  
gone. Then he noticed how Akari had him nestled in a particular comfy  
part of her anatomy, similiar to how Akane used to hold him. His  
reaction, however, was the exact same.  
  
He had a nosebleed and passed out.  
  
"Now what in tarnation was all that screaming about?" Ryoga's  
sensei asked. "And where is Ryoga-san? Did he run off again?"  
  
Akari turned to the old man, after glancing downward at her  
passed-out fiance. "Um, he'll back in a bit, sir. He was just getting  
rid of a pest."  
  
"Oh?" The old man sounded surprised. "And just who are you?"  
  
The young girl smiled, feeling confident again for the first  
time since the whole mess began. "My name is Unryuu Akari. I'm Ryoga's  
iinazuke!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"AKANE!" Ranma yelled. "What are you bastards doing to her!?"  
  
As soon as Yuni grabbed ahold of Akane's arm, the latter  
screamed in pain and collapsed to her knees. Her golden aura dimmed and  
disappeared, as a light green one flowed from Yuni and overpowered it.  
  
"The last of her ki is being drained," Hajime replied calmly.  
"Only then, can what we seek be obtained. I'm sorry, but it has to be  
done."  
  
*Clang!* *Clang!* CLANG!*  
  
Hajime turned around, his eyes widening in surprise as Ranma  
put dent after dent into the steel cube. He turned back around and observed  
his fellow comrades rejoining him.  
  
Kujo actually seemed to be in some pain, but the big man was  
hiding it well as he picked up Li Chun. Wen Ho was back as well, and he  
was assisting Daimonji, who was injured pretty badly. Takao seemed  
pretty shaken, never having been hit by his own attack before. He'd need  
plenty of rest.  
  
The old man turned his attention back to Akane, who was  
writhing in pain from where she lay on her back. He felt sorry for her,  
but better to sacrifice one for the good of the many. He watched  
impassively, as her back finally arched, and a golden light burst out of  
her chest. It stopped a meter above her and coalesced into a golden  
ball.  
  
"At last!"  
  
"AKANE! NO!"  
  
*SCREEEEEEEEECH!*  
  
  
  
  
  
Watching Akane suffer was tearing Ranma apart like he'd never  
known. He'd promised himself time and time again that he wouldn't let  
anything happen to her, yet here he was, failing her again.  
  
she swore.  
  
Fear at what was happening to her iinazuke and at her  
helplessness to do anything, ate away at her, and a startling  
transformation took place.  
  
Ranma didn't think at all, she just acted.  
  
  
  
  
  
Hajime turned back around yet again, and was distressed to see  
four slash marks diagonally across the steel-titanium reinforced box.  
Also, was that girl... yowling? Another set of slash marks cut across  
the other way, making an X mark.  
  
Then the wall exploded and the girl inside pounced out.  
  
"Leave her alone!" she screamed.  
  
Before he knew what was happening, Hajime found himself easily  
batted aside like a rag doll by the rapidly moving red-head. She then  
implanted Wen Ho in a wall, flung Takao into the air, and sent Kujo down  
for the count, all in a matter of seconds.  
  
Hajime swore internally.   
  
Across the way, Yuni had finished what she was doing, and the  
golden ball above Akane formed into a multi-faceted crystal shard. The  
raven-haired martial artist slumped to the ground, gazing at the crystal  
with barely-recognized eyes.  
  
And deep insider her, a memory resurfaced.  
  
  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
  
"'Kasaan! You gonna be alright?"  
  
Mrs. Tendo looked down at her 6-year old daughter from her  
hospital bed. It was at her request that her youngest was here, for it  
was only little Akane who showed the signs of a warrior's heart.  
  
She reached out and stroked Akane's cheek. "I'm going to be  
fine, Akane-chan. I'm just going to have to go away for awhile."  
  
"Where?" Her young eyes showed no fear, only a strong curiosity.  
  
"You'll find out later, but for now I need you to do a favor for  
me," her mother told her. "Will you hold on to something for me?"  
  
"Sure, `Kasaan!" Akane responded happily. "I'll be happy to!"  
  
Mrs. Tendo rose to a sitting position on the bed, her legs  
hanging over the side. She held up both her palms. "Well, first of all,  
put your hands on mine."  
  
Akane smiled. A game! "Okay!" She put her small palms against  
her mother's and gazed upwards into her mother's brown eyes. For some  
reason, she couldn't turn her face away, feeling strangely compelled to  
keep looking.  
  
A golden light began to emanate from the Tendo matriarch,  
illuminating the darkened room. The glow expanded to surround young  
Akane, even as it pulsed between them. A conduit of golden rays flowed  
from Mrs. Tendo's chest to Akane's, faintly revealing a small crystal  
shard within.  
  
Akane watched it enter her body through her chest, but for some  
reason she wasn't scared. It was if she knew this had to happen, and  
this crystal was her friend. The glow faded slowly from the room and  
from mother and daughter, and Akane found herself growing sleepy.  
  
As she laid her head down in her mother's lap and began to doze  
off, she could almost hear her mother's thoughts.  
  
  
  
By the time they were found later, Mrs. Tendo had passed away,  
and little Akane had suppressed all memories of the incident.  
  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
  
  
  
"Ka...saan..." Akane muttered, then closed her eyes.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was taking too long. The one in the brown gi (who's style of  
martial arts was disturbingly familiar) wasn't too much of a problem and  
the Kuno boy was more annoying then anything else, but together they  
were managing to hold him off.  
  
And then this panda comes out of nowhere to join the fight  
against him! (Lady Kuno attempted to revive Genma via a conviently  
placed bucket of cold water) Was there no end to this circus? And all  
of this was keeping him from his true target!  
  
His blade met Kuno's in a clash of steel, but he easily used  
his superior strength to send the younger boy tumbling back. However,  
that left him open for a fraction of a second, enough for the panda the  
ram into him, throwing him off balance with his superior bulk.  
  
Soun sprang in next, rapidly striking several vital points  
along Drakon's face and chest, and ending with a judo throw into another  
wall, which naturally crumbled to pieces upon impact. That didn't leave  
very many walls left.  
  
Drakon recovered quickly enough, bursting out of the debris to  
stand before the three advesaries arrayed against him. He was just  
starting to breath heavily, and still he was no closer to ending this.  
His let his hand brushed against his pouch once more.  
  
"Thy interference merely postpones that which is inevitable," he  
told them with a grim look on his face. "I desired not this outcome, but  
my hand hath been forced." Sudden determination dictating his actions,  
he reached into his pouch and pulled out the darkened orb. `If you are  
in need, throw this to the ground and break it, and your true powers  
will return,' Darmando had told him.   
  
"Behold that against which you stand!" He threw the orb to the  
ground at his feet with all his strength. It shattered upon impact and a  
pitch black cloud started to boil out of the remains.  
  
As the three warriors watched in rapt amazement, the cloud  
eneveloped Drakon, masking most of his body. His grim smile soon  
dissolved, though, and he began to convulse as if in pain. His arms  
began to shake, his mouth open and his eyes wide with confusion and  
surprise. Tremors seemed to wrack his body every few moments, even as  
veins stood out on his forehead.  
  
Suddenly, he doubled over, his arms hugging his stomach. Genma,  
Soun, and Tatewaki, took a nervous step back, as two green things  
erupted from his backside. Then they unfolded, revealing themselves to  
be giant bat-like wings.  
  
"No, not bat," Soun said softly in realization. "Dragon  
wings..."  
  
Drakon straightened again, appearing to be over the worst of  
it. "Now fools, prepare to-Aaauugghh!" He was stopped in mid-sentance by  
another spasm wracking his body. His legs suddenly gave out on him and he collapsed to all  
fours.   
  
Before their very eyes, Drakon nearly doubled in size, as his  
skin began to sprout dark-green scales. His lips formed a soundless,  
"Nooo!", before his face elongated into a scaley snout. Then, speaking  
was no longer within his capabilities as he growled in obvious pain.  
  
His hands reformed into claws, a long scaly tail burst forth  
from from his rear, and the transformation was almost complete.  
Blackness crawled along his body, turning it from the dark-green, to a  
sickly black.  
  
It's work done, the ebony cloud of smoke dissipated, leaving  
silence in the embattled courtyard.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ariko sat up straight suddenly and shivered. She blinked once,  
wondering what that strange feeling was. That's when she noticed Miyo  
was doing the same thing.  
  
"Ariko-san, are you okay?" Hikaru asked, rushing back into the  
room. "I thought I felt something..."  
  
"That's because you did, as I believe everyone here did," Toshi  
replied, returning as well. "Though I suspect Miyo-san can tell us more  
about it." Three pairs of eyes turned toward the fortune-teller.  
  
Miyo's eyes were dilated, as if she were watching something  
else entirely. "Powerful magic," she said after a few moments. "Nearby.  
Evil, too." She shivered again, then blinked, her eyes returning to  
normal. She took in the looks of her friends around around. "All of us  
here have a magical sense that comes from our studies into the arcane. I  
can see more clearly because of my special gift."  
  
"So what's happening?" Ariko asked, eagerly.  
  
Miyo shook her head. "The magic was so powerful, that I  
couldn't get a clear reading, but I definitely felt the aura of dark  
arts being performed." She stood up and moved to the nearest window,  
opening the shutters slightly. "Dangerous, too. I don't know exactly  
what's going on, but heaven help any who stand against such power."  
  
Ariko and Hikaru glanced at each other nervously, wondering  
what could be so powerful as to frighten Miyo. Even when they were all  
prisoners of the mage clans, she wasn't the least bit scared.  
  
Toshi merely sat down and rested his chin on his hand, his face  
an impassioned mask.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"What the-!!" Ryu Kumon took several shaky steps backward at the  
sight.  
  
"Oneechan..." Kurumi whispered frightfully as she clutched her  
older sister's arm.  
  
Even Natsume was taken aback by the scene before them. They had  
found out from Kasumi where their adopted father had gone to and had  
decided to go and help, easily following the column of smoke rising in  
the distance. Ryu tagged along reluctantly, just out of curiousity and  
to see if there was a worthy opponent for him to fight.  
  
They had just arrived just in time to witness Drakon's horrific  
transformation.  
  
Natsume's face hardened, determination deciding her course of  
action. "Well, let us see if we can help."  
  
"Forget this!" Ryu had come to see about challenging a human  
opponent. Dragons weren't on the list of possibilities! "You can go out  
there and get killed if you want, but I don't want any part of it!"  
  
"Scared, Kumon-san?" Natsume taunted.  
  
Ryu erupted in anger. "Of course! Fear simply warns us of  
danger, and right now mine is saying that going in there would be a  
fatal mistake!"  
  
"Natsume, I-I'm scared, too," Kurumi admitted. "Do we have to go  
in there?"  
  
The older girl turned her gaze into the courtyard, where the  
dragon was slowly stomping menacingly toward the other three martial  
artists. She then glanced back down at her sister, and sighed. She could  
tell Kurumi didn't really want to fight, not that she blamed her.  
Natsume's gut feelings were warning her against this as well.  
  
"Well, I'm outta here," Ryu said, turning to go. "Fight if you  
want, but this doesn't have anything to do with me." The two girls  
watched as he began to walk off.  
  
"Ryu-san, wait!" Natsume called, but Ryu didn't stop, instead  
just waving her off. A sinking feeling assaulted her. "Maybe..."  
  
"Natsume?"  
  
There was a long pause before Natsume spoke again. "Maybe we're  
not ready to be heirs to the Tendo dojo. It would appear that our skills  
our not up to the task."  
  
Kurumi, if possible, clutched her sister's arm even tighter.  
"We're not leaving again?" she whined. "I don't wanna leave Akane-  
oneechan and Kasumi-oneechan!"  
  
Natsume glanced down at her sister, but she didn't have any  
response to give her.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The old woman couldn't believe her luck. She had just returned  
to Japan yesterday with her new mission, but she hadn't expected to run  
into any of them yet. But here he was, hiking through the woods all  
alone. And he apparently hadn't sensed her yet. She had planned to pick  
them off one by one and this was a great start, since she could use him.  
  
"You can come out, old one," he called, not slowing or stopping  
at all. "I know you're there."  
  
Zhao Len started. she mused. She hopped out of the trees and into the dirt  
path in front of him, and this time he did stop.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked her gruffly.  
  
Something seemed a bit off about him, but Zhao Len ignored it.  
"I think that should be obvious, boy. The question is, will you  
cooperate willingly, or-" she grinned ferally, "do I have to use more  
persuasive methods?"  
  
He looked at her, somewhat confused. "What is your problem? And  
what does it have to do with me?"  
  
The old, former-Amazon blinked. "I'm surprised, Kenji, don't  
you remember me and all the fun we had?"  
  
`Kenji' looked at the old woman liked she'd grown a second head,  
then laughed. "I'm afraid whatever quarrel you had with this body's  
previous host will have to wait. I have more pressing matters to attend  
to."  
  
"Previous host?" Zhao Len's eyes narrowed. As an Amazon  
matriarch, she had read through much of their tribes ancient magical  
lore. Soul transfers and possessions were spoken of, but she had never  
really seen them in action before. "And just who are you?"  
  
"My name would be meaningless to you," he replied. "But know  
that I have survived for far longer than you. To challenge me, would  
mean your death." His eyes glinted dangerously. "Out of my way."  
  
Zhao Len chuckled. "Oh, that may be so, but I have a trick or  
two up my sleeve. I can't let you leave, however, since I have need of  
that body as well."  
  
"And what will you do to stop me, old woman?"  
  
"Just this." She reached into her robe and pulled out something,  
holding it up between two fingers. It was a small gem, a ruby.  
"Regardless of which soul is that body, it still has the same brain."  
  
The boy froze, suddenly unable to move due to the paralysis  
that enveloped his body. "What...? How...?"  
  
"We have much work to do," Zhao Len told him. "I suggest we get  
started."  
  
She walked by him casually, and behind her, her puppet kept  
pace.  
  
  
  
--------------------------------  
  
Author's notes:  
  
The bit about Ukyo's engagement is not something I made up. Looking back  
through the manga, you can easily put it together. Before Ranma and Ukyo  
were engaged, they met up with the Gambler King. Ukyo lost an IOU to the  
Gambler King for the yattai, and Ranma lost an IOU for the Tendo Dojo.  
Ten years later when the Gambler King shows up, that IOU is valid enough  
for him to claim the dojo. They eventually win it back, but nothing is  
said about the yattai. Conclusion: the yattai did legally belong to (and  
still does) the Gambler King long before Genma stole it.  
  
Also, for those of you who don't know, an omiai is a formal meeting  
between two people who look each other over and see if they want to get  
married, as a prelude to an engagement (providing the omiai goes well).  
Ranma and Akane's omiai happened with Soun's famous line: "Kasumi is  
nineteen, Nabiki is eighteen, Akane is seventeen. Pick any one you want  
and she shall be your bride." In which Akane is volunteered by her  
loving sisters. According to family honor and duty, giri, (and comedy  
^_^) they were engaged.  
  
Ukyo never participated in the omiai in which Genma asked Ranma which he  
liked better: Ucchan or okonomiyaki. And we all know which one Ranma  
picked.  
  
So Ukyo is correct when she says above, "With no dowry and no omiai, how  
can there be an engagement?"  
  
Just something to keep in mind as you read and/or write Ranma  
fanfiction. From Ranma's standpoint, his only legal engagement, and  
hence his honor, is to Akane. 


	15. Chapter 15

Send C&C to: oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Find my stories at: www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000  
  
  
  
Ranma 1/2: New Challenges  
Trials  
Chapter 15  
  
  
  
  
  
Yuni only had a few seconds to glimpse the crystal before  
something struck her forcefully and sent her tumbling away. Through her  
haze, she realized the red-headed girl was crouched protectively in  
front of Akane. In one hand she held the crystal, which had lost it's  
glow.  
  
"You must give that to us," Hajime said sternly, having regained  
his feet. "It is too dangerous to be allowed in the hands of mortals."  
  
Ranma snorted. "Get real, pal. `Sides, you're mortal, too." She  
eyed the opposition, the group of seven lining up across from her. "I  
don't know what's going on, but this thing belongs to Akane. The only  
way you're gettin' it is over my dead body."  
  
"Don't you get it!" Hajime yelled, finally losing his temper.  
"It cannot be destroyed, yet it cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong  
hands!"  
  
Ranma looked down at the multi-faceted crystal, which almost  
seemed to throb in her hand. "What's so important about this thing,  
anyway?"  
  
Hajime sighed. "A long time ago, a kami gave it to a woman, to  
reward her for something the woman had done for the heavenly being. The  
names were lost to antiquity, but our order has dedicated itself to  
seeking out such dangerous artifacts and sealing them away. This  
particular one has been dormant for most of it's life, but ten years  
ago, we sensed the it's use, and have been searching for it ever since."  
  
"So why's it so dangerous?" Ranma's eyes narrowed. "What kind of  
threat is Akane supposed to be?" She glanced back at her fiancee  
momentarily who appeared unconscious, but was still breathing, much to  
the red-head's relief.   
  
"I said before, it acts as sort of a amplifying lens for ki,"  
the old one told him. "As it is used more and more by someone, the  
amplification factor increases, and it has no limit. Soon, it would  
reach a point where only a small amount of ki would be amplified  
millions of times, enough to destroy the world! Don't you see? No one  
can be trusted with it!"  
  
Uncertainity warred within Ranma soul. It was true that the  
Tora Dokiken was powerful, and her instincts told him not to give it to  
these people, but it looked like they wouldn't stop until they got what  
they were after. And if what the old man said were true, and Akane's ki  
developed more fully, the next time she got angry or unleashed a ki-  
attack...  
  
"What about Akane?" Ranma said at last. "What did you do to  
her?"  
  
"Yuni merely drained enough ki to free the artifact," Hajime  
told her. "She may yet live, if she gets help soon. You may be able to  
beat all of us, but the time it would take you to do so would be fatal  
to her. Just give us the crystal and you can save her."  
  
Ranma fretted. I can't give this to them, but  
if I don't, Akane'll die! I can't let that happen! She wracked her  
brain for another way... and found one. "Fine then, I'll solve all our  
problems."  
  
The group of seven watched, wide-eyed, as Ranma tossed the  
crystal into the air and drew his hand back.  
  
What happened next was, to them, nothing short of impossible.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Saotome!" Soun watched, helpless, as the tail of the beast  
slammed into his old friend, planting him firmly in the ground. With as  
much strength as he could muster, Soun pushed the wooden beam off his  
legs and attempted to stand up.  
  
It wasn't going well. Ever since Drakon had transformed, the  
three martial artists had found themselves out-classed. The dragon's  
scales were harder than steel, and he was quick for such a large beast.  
None of their attacks seemed to do much, and the counters were taking  
them out one by one.  
  
Tatewaki was the first target, being blown back by a powerful  
cold breath attack that tossed him in the what was left of the building  
and burying him under ice and rubble. Soun attempted to retrieve his  
naginata and plunge it into the beast's flank, but a claw caught him in  
mid-air and sent him sailing into a wall. And now it was Genma-panda's  
turn, as he tried to attack from the rear.  
  
The Tendo patriarch tried to distract Drakon, to give Genma  
enough time to recover, though he knew he wasn't in good shape. His legs  
felt weak, and his gi was torn across his chest where three red gashes  
ran diagonally from the claw.  
  
Drakon merely glanced at Soun, but left his tail across the  
giant panda, preventing Genma from getting up. He opened his giant  
mouth, and another blast of freezing air came rushing forth to knock  
Soun off his feet and send him tumbling away.  
  
Soun thought sadly. Helplessly, he  
watched as the dragon coiled it's tail around Genma and stood up on two  
legs, lifting him up in front of it's own toothy maw and squeezing hard  
with the tail.   
  
Genma applied all his strength to break free from the coiled  
grip, but it wasn't enough. He even tried biting the tail, but panda  
teeth were no match for dragon scales. he despairingly realized. Then,  
thinking was impossible, as the crushing grip rendered him unconscious.  
  
"Release my husband!" cried a familiar voice. The voice was  
accompianed by a stream of fire that bathed Drakon's backside. The  
dragon roared in pain, and dropped Genma.  
  
"And leave my Soun-chan alone!" cried another familiar female  
voice. "Happo No-Yen Coin Return!" A blast of ki-energy struck the  
dragon, knocking him back a few feet, but not appearing to hurt him  
much.  
  
Then someone was there, helping him up. Soun blinked when he  
realized who it was. "Hinako-san? You're Ranma and Akane's teacher. What  
are you doing here?"  
  
He kind of suspected that the woman felt more for him than  
concern as Ranma and Akane's teacher. And he wasn't so old that he had  
lost his eyes; she was quite attractive to look at. Then he would think  
of wife and first love, and the mere thought of betraying her would curb  
any forward actions on his part.  
  
"I ran into Saotome-san's mother and she said you might be in  
danger," Hinako told him in her husky, adult voice. "I had to try and  
help."  
  
She helped him sit up, and he noticed a round fishbowl sitting  
nearby. She seemed to be awfully fond of that fish, since she had it  
whenever he saw her. He also noticed Nodoka approaching the dragon, her  
katana out and in a ready position. The surprising thing, was that it  
appeared to be on fire. Also surprising, was she had shed her usual  
kimono, revealing a decorative white and blue bodysuit underneath, with  
matching white headband.  
  
"What's going on?" Soun asked, confused. "What is she doing? She  
can't possibly be thinking of taking that thing on alone!"  
  
The dragon launched another wave of it's ice-cold breath, but  
Nodoka's sword flared up, incinerating the blast before it could reach  
her.  
  
Hinako stood. "She will fight for the one she loves. To a woman  
in love, there is nothing she will not do for her man!" He gave him a  
lusty smile and a wink, then turned back to the dragon, bringing her  
hands back up. "Prepare to be punished, delinquent! Happo No-Yen Coin  
Return!"  
  
The blast of yellowish-green ki struck the dragon head on,  
sending him stumbling backward even as a lightning bolt flew from out of  
the ruined building, impacting Drakon's chest. The dragon snarled in  
response, shaking off the attack.  
  
"Foul beast!" called Kuno's voice. "Get thee back to the abyss!"  
He strode from the building, his sword crackling and flashing with blue  
electric sparks.  
  
The dragon took a couple of steps backward, eyeing the two  
swords carefully. It was almost as if he recognized their power and  
feared it.  
  
At that moment, Lady Kuno reappeared from within the wrecked  
building, her hand flying to her mouth when she caught sight of the  
black dragon outside. "Kami-sama, no! It cannot be possible! Only the  
true lord of your people can make that tranformation!"  
  
The dragon's head swung around, his maw becoming a toothy grin  
as he glimpsed his original target. Moving faster than anyone expected,  
and before anyone could do anything, he snaked one hand out and plucked  
her from the ground. He held her out as a shield between himself and his  
attackers. With the woman in his grip, no one else dared attack, for  
fear she might get caught in the crossfire.  
  
Soun realized the dynamics had suddenly changed, and they were  
helpless to do anything about it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The group watched in utter shock as the crystal flew upwards.  
Then, Ranma's hand blurred passed it. In slow motion, they beheld the  
crystal seperate cleanly into five pieces.  
  
"NO!" Hajime blurted, right before the dismembered crystal  
exploded. A radiant gold light expanded outward, filling the ravine and  
washing over it's occupants.  
  
Moving faster than she ever had before in her life, Ranma  
grabbed Akane and leapt outward, just ahead of the event horizon. It  
caught up to them in mid-air however, sending her and her helpless  
charge tumbling into the trees above the ravine wall. She instinctively  
twisted her body in mid-air, protecting Akane by absorbing the tree  
branch impacts with her own body.  
  
The explsion behind them blasted into the ground, cratering the  
ravine floor as it forced it's magical energies in all directions,  
including downward. The ravine shook with the force of a magnitude 6  
earthquake, then as the energies exploded upwards, the hole in the  
ground spewed forth a mighty geyser of water from a hot spring that  
happened to be located just underneath the ground.  
  
*Whump!*  
  
The landing wasn't perfect, but the important thing was that  
she hit first, Akane on top of him. The heated droplets of water from  
the geyser began to pour down upon them, and Ranma shifted into his  
masculine form as he got his wind back.  
  
And then he was holding her in his lap, cradling her in his  
arms like he did at Jusendo.  
  
"Akane?" He brushed the unconscious girl's cheek with his hand.  
"You can wake up now. It's all over. You did pretty good back there, but  
it's over."  
  
But there was still no action from her, besides her light  
breathing. His hand moved from her cheek, down her neck   
  
In the distance, the geyser lost it's pressure and died out.  
  
"Come on, Akane!" he demanded, his voice getting shaky. "Don't  
do this to me. Quit foolin' around and wake up!" He studied her face for  
several moments, as he wiped the dirt scruffs off her cheeks. That's  
when noticed the droplet of water that hit Akane's face. Ranma blinked  
and wiped his face on his sleeve. "Now look what ya made me do! Snap out  
of it!"  
  
He sniffled a bit. He blinked. He dried his tears again, an idea forming in his  
head. Concentrating, Ranma closed his eyes, focusing his breathing. His  
blue aura soundlessly formed around him.  
  
Ever since Happosai taught them his ki-charge technique, Ranma  
had been working with it and studying it, like he did with every new  
move he learned. One of the main points to the technique was that the  
person in need of ki had to initiate the charge. But Ranma discovered  
that the charge was greater when the one being charged off of, willingly  
gave of their ki, and even greater when they did it out of love. Since  
Happosai's victims never willingly gave in to him, the old freak never  
would've figured that out.  
  
But Ranma had never tried to give ki without Akane initiating  
the charge. Then his thoughts were gone, his  
mind clear. The only sound were the steady breathing of the two  
teenagers that slowly synchronized. Ranma reached out for Akane with his  
ki, his aura flowing over her.  
  
For several minutes, nothing happened. Then he felt it, and  
gasped.  
  
  
  
  
  
As the golden shockwave approached the group of seven, Hajime  
shook off his stupor at what the pig-tailed girl had done. The crystal  
was made by kami hands, and mortal men weren't supposed to be able to  
destroy it. But there was no more time for thought; if he didn't act  
swiftly, the explosion would consume them.  
  
He crossed his arms in front of his body and weaved his aura  
through the six around him. It was dangerous to him to attempt what he  
was going to do, but if he didn't, they would all perish. "Teleport!"  
  
"Sensei! No!" Li chun gasped.  
  
A spasm of pain wracked the old man's frame as the seven faded  
out of existance, the expanding golden aura vaporizing their area a  
split second later. They re-materialized on a hilltop a safe distance  
away, from where they could behold the sphere of golden light explode  
upwards in a column of dissipating energies.  
  
They watched, tiredly and in awe, as five thin beams of light  
shot out of the main one, streaking off in different directions. The  
heated geyser burst up from the ground after the explosion died off, but  
it didn't last long.  
  
Hajime collapsed and the young Japanese girl named Yuni rushed  
to his side, fearing the worst. "Sensei!" She knew that it was a strain  
on the old man to attempt to teleport more than two or three at a time,  
and he had just warped the entire group half a kilometer away.  
  
"Please be okay!" Yuni pleaded. "You'll be fine. We'll get you  
to a doctor and then-"  
  
He shook his head, even as his raspy voice cut her off. "No.  
Too late for me... old and weak..."  
  
"No, sensei!" Yuni cried, tears leaking from her eyes. "You  
can't leave me!" He was the closet thing the orphan had for a father,  
and he had taught her much about controlling her gift.  
  
"We all have our time, child," he replied, his voice a bit  
steadier, though his eyes were still closed. "I have... led a full life  
and have few regrets." He turned his head slightly. "Li chun... Kujo...  
was he successful? Did he actually destroy the Heart of the Kami?"  
  
Kujo's arms were folded across his chest, his eyes  
expressionless as he watched the explosion die off. "No, I don't think  
so." His voice was low and gruff.  
  
"Kujo's right, sensei," Li Chun added impassively. "It looks  
like he just shattered it into five pieces. They flew off in different  
directions."  
  
"Then they will need to be found, before someone uses them,"  
Hajime said solemnly. Their task was not finished after all, quite the  
contrary, it become that much more difficult. "You must track them,  
Yuni. You're the only one who can."  
  
"Sensei, I don't know, I-!" she blurted shakingly, then her  
voice cut off.  
  
"You are young, but you must trust yourself." He stopped and  
coughed violently, his elderly frame shuddering. "You have learned all I  
can teach." He felt lighter all of a sudden, his pain flowing away in a  
kind of white heat. He could also sense his comrades gather around him.  
"Wen Ho... you must lead now."  
  
The short, Chinese man nodded solemly. "I shall, old friend.  
Rest well, you have earned it."  
  
Hajime smiled, even as he felt his sould slip away. "Goodbye...  
my friends..." His head turned to the side and he breathed his last.  
  
Cradling his body in her arms, Yuni bent over him and sobbed  
while Li Chun embraced the smaller girl from behind.  
  
They had lost one of their own today, and that wouldn't be  
forgotten, or forgiven.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"MOTHER!" Tatewaki yelled. "Unhand her villainous monster!"  
  
Drakon merely turned toward Kuno and growled menacingly,  
warning the kendoist away. But Tatewaki refused to be cowed as he  
advanced on the creature, his sword crackling with lightning.  
  
Nodoka also continued to move forward, following an imperitive  
she didn't understand. Somewhere in the back of her mind lingered the  
realization that her katana was burning, but that was ignored over the  
much stronger compulsion to destroy the darkness before her.  
  
"No-chan!"  
  
Soun glanced sideways as Genma emerged from the ruined remains  
of the building in human form, apparently having found hot water inside.  
He was limping slightly and holding his ribs. "Saotome! Are you  
alright?"  
  
"What's she doing, Tendo!?" Genma cried. "She's going to get  
herself killed!" He wanted to get in there and help her, but he was  
barely able to move himself, compounding his feelings of helplessness.  
  
"She's seemes to be doing better than we were," Soun remarked.  
  
And it was the truth. Every attack that came her way, she  
managed to turn aside. Swipes with a tail or a claw, she parried or  
dodged. Blasts of freezing breath were incinerated. In fact, Kuno's  
magic sword was helping him in much the same way. Still, the dragon's  
actions were keeping them at bay, and it was all they could do to fend  
off the attacks.  
  
Drakon took another couple of steps back and spread his wings,  
preparing to take flight. He had decided that since he had what he came  
for, it was time to leave. However, the big appendages made excellent  
targets. A crackling bolt of lightning impacted the right wing, while a  
stream of fire struck the left. Drakon roared in pain, his anger  
increasing. The fragile structures were now hanging in tatters, too  
damaged to enable flight. They would also require too much time to  
regenerate, time he didn't have.  
  
He stomped his foot down hard, causing all the humans present  
to lose their balance and fall to the ground. He then swiped his tail at  
Tatewaki, who just barely managed to bring the sword up in time. Still,  
the contact sent him flying into a pile of rubble.  
  
That's when he noticed his captive trying to communicate with  
him, telepathically.  
  
Lady Kuno's thoughts told  
him.   
  
he told her  
mentally.   
  
she  
countered.   
  
Drakon snorted. He shook his  
head. He forcefully cut the mental link.  
  
Lady Kuno glanced downward at the two approaching figures. "Son, you cannot beat him. You don't have enough power,  
not without all three swords!"  
  
"Mother, not a single hair shall be harmed on thy head," he  
spouted. "I shall save thee!"  
  
she thought, despairingly.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was almost like he was aware of her on some primal level.  
His surroundings disappeared, leaving just him and her as the only  
things in existence. He literally sensed her soul, and it was fading  
fast.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
He could feel the emptiness inside her that once once filled  
with her ki. It would regenerate with time, but time was something Akane  
didn't have. Instead, he forced his own ki into that void, filling it,  
keeping her alive as her own regenerated.  
  
For the next hour, he was literally her life support.  
  
But something unexpected was happening. Some of his ki was  
being absorbed into her, even as her own was being absorbed into his.  
Outside their bodies, her crimson aura mingled with his own deep azure,  
creating strands of gold where they mixed.  
  
Neither of them noticed this, however, as Ranma was too focused  
on saving Akane, and she was unable to concentrate on much except  
Ranma's presence.  
  
For the next sixty minutes, their entire world was centered on  
each other.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Freeze Arrow!"  
  
The female voice came out of the blue, as did the rapidly  
moving ice spear. It struck the dragon's foot and expanded, covering the  
dragon's leg up to it's thigh.  
  
"Yes!" came the girl's voice again as she made herself known.  
"Henki Ariko, supreme sorceress-in-training, strikes again!" The brown-  
haired girl pranced into the courtyard, dragging a weakly struggling  
Hikaru Gosunkugi with her. "Your turn, Hikaru-chan."  
He took one look at what they were facing and very nearly  
passed out. He had been learning a lot about magic from the book their  
sensei had given them and it had boosted his confidence once he got a  
couple of spells working. So far he had used them against bullies, which  
were one thing, but this was a dragon!  
  
As he thought about it now, he didn't know why he came along.  
Somehow it all made sense back in Miyo's library. He had an overwhelming  
need to see what the `dark power' the fortune teller sensed, and he  
sensed Ariko felt the same. But now, looking up at the towering  
monstrosity that could easily tear him up into little bits if it wanted  
a light snack...  
  
"I-I c-can't!" he whined.  
  
Ariko sighed noisily. "Sure you can, I believe in you. Just use  
the magic." She looked back up. "Uh oh." The dragon had noticed them,  
and it didn't seem to be too happy about her attack. It opened it's  
mouth, and a freezing blast of ice streaked toward them. Ariko thought  
fast and raised her hands.  
  
"Valis Wall!" The ice blast struck the barrier and parted around  
them. "Hurry, Hi-chan. I can't keep it up... much longer..."  
  
"Ariko..." Hikaru watched his partner in the arcane studies  
struggle against the attack, and he knew he had to do something. Like  
the battle at the mage compound half a year ago, a female in danger was  
enough to compel him to act.  
  
"Flare... Arrow!" The streak of flame parted the ice blast like  
the Red Sea, before continuing on into the beast's mouth. Drakon was  
forced to abort the attack in a fit violent coughing and gagging.  
  
In response, he jumped up and came crashing back down. As his  
clawed feet hit the ground, the very earth rippled, collapsing the rest  
of the weakened walls. Nodoka cried out as she hit the ground, her  
katana flying out of her hand and the flame winking out. Ariko activated  
a quick levitation spell, grabbing Hikaru just before the shockwave hit  
them. Genma and Soun crashed into each other as they tumbled to the  
ground, but the worst effect, was what happened to Hinako.  
  
The teacher fell to the ground with the rest of them, but her  
fishbowl bounced into the air. It turned upside in mid-air, dumping the  
water and fighting fish out and, upon hitting the ground, shattered into  
pieces.  
  
Hinako promptly shrunk to child-size then glanced up in fear,  
hoping Soun hadn't seen. To her horror however, he was gawking at her,  
wide-eyed from the ground where he lay. It was quite obvious he had seen  
everything.  
  
Embarrassed, ashamed, and with tears leaking out of her child-  
like eyes, Hinako Ninomiya ran out of the courtyard as fast as her  
little legs could carry her.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Lady Kuno recovered from the jolt a few minutes later and  
despaired as she viewed the battle scene. Her son was buried in rubble,  
and this time she could see his hand sticking out and his sword laying  
on the ground. He was quite unconscious.  
  
The woman with the sword of flame was also down, encased in  
ice. Drakon must have frozen her after the earthquake stomp. The other  
two men that had come to help were not moving, and the last woman firing  
those ki-blasts had disappeared. It was quite apparent that all of the  
warriors arrayed against Drakon were down.  
  
Except for two children.  
  
The two little magic-users were standing at the far end of the  
courtyard, somehow having escaped harm from the quake. She glanced back  
up at Drakon, hoping that it was enough that he was victorious. By the  
look in his eyes, she could tell it was not.  
  
she told him, forging the mental link again.  
  
  
he responded. The link was severed once more.  
  
Lady Kuno cast about for a way to save her son and his friends,  
and noticed the men were beginning to stir once more. "Get out of here!"  
she cried. "He's going to kill all of you!"  
  
The dragon began to sqeeze her, but she exerted what little  
magic she had to keep from being crushed. However, it wouldn't last  
long.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ariko reached inside, channeling most of her magic, and began  
to chant. "Source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson, let  
thy power gather in my hand. Fireball!"  
  
The bright ball of orange flame was on target. Ariko could see  
the hostage, but was able to control the fireball enough to avoid  
hitting her, instead striking the dragon's jaw. It yelped in pain as  
it's head was violently twisted to the left.  
  
"H-he's t-too strong!" Hikaru yelled, his previous concentration  
and courage leaving him again. His legs unconsciously took a step  
backwards. "We have to get out of here!"  
  
"No!" Ariko refused to go, pulling a book out of her backpack  
and flipping through the pages. "There's got to be a strong enough spell  
in here to kill a dragon!"  
  
Hikaru's jaw dropped.. Even when faced with a 30 foot tall,  
cold-breathing monstrosity, Ariko didn't appear to be the least bit  
scared. Instead, she was determined to stand up to it, even when it  
appeared to be hopeless.  
  
the familiar thought ran through his  
head. Another couple of steps brought him closer to the exit out  
of the battlefield, and farther from Ariko.  
  
That's why he wasn't in the way when the dragon attacked.  
  
While Ariko was busy looking through her book of spells, Drakon  
seized the opportunity to stomp forward, lower his head, and belt out  
another freezing ice blast. Thanks to the internal damge caused by  
Hikaru's earlier Flare Arrow, it wasn't as powerful, which was why the  
dark dragon had gotten closer.  
  
Ariko, so absorbed in searching the spellbook, didn't realize  
Drakon had closed on her until she looked up to see the dragon's open  
maw staring back at her. She yelped in fright as she tossed herself out  
of the way, but the freezing breath caught her feet and encased them  
ice. Losing her balance, she screamed as she fell forward, the spellbook  
fluttering out of her hands and coming to rest several meters away.  
  
Hikaru watched in horror as Drakon continued up the young  
sorcereress's body, bestowing upon her the same icy caress he had given  
her legs. Yet again, the young mage's fear was shoved aside in face of  
the greater terror of of what would happen if he did nothing.  
  
"Flare Arrow!" The reddish-orange bolt flew from his hands, but  
the great beast sensed the magic this time, moving his head out of the  
way as the fiery arrow zipped harmlessly on by.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Soun and Genma recovered enough to stand and get moving, having  
heard the warning from the woman in the dragon's grip. Soun began to  
quickly dig Tatewaki out of the rubble. Once freed, he grabbed the  
unconscious youth and checked his vitals, releasing a breath of relief  
when he realized the Kuno boy was okay.  
  
The katana laying nearby crackled once, a single bolt of  
electricity arcing through the air the strike Tatwaki in the chest. The  
body spasmed from the impact, then the boy's eyes shot open.  
  
So suprised and startled was Soun, that he wasn't able to act  
while Tatewaki laept to his feet, grabbed the katana, and returned to  
the battle.  
  
Genma had made a beeline for his wife, shock and fear foremost  
among his emotions when he realized her condition. Wasting no time, he  
grabbed the katana and aimed carefully. He swung  
the blade down in a clean stroke, splitting and shattering the ice off  
of her. Her then cradled her cold body in his arms as he held her close,  
hoping to warm her by his own body heat as he prepared to leave the  
battlefield.  
  
His insides were screaming for him to rend the hated beast limb  
from limb, but his first concern was his wife. However, he didn't get  
the chance. As he picked up the katana and turned to leave, Nodoka's  
eyes fluttered open.  
  
"Anata?"  
  
"No-chan!?" Genma gasped. "Are you okay?"  
  
"What... happened?"  
  
He blinked. "Don't you know?" "You were fighting with a fiery katana."  
  
Her brow creased in puzzlement. "Genma, what are you saying?"  
She suddenly patted herself, her face darting around rapidly. "My sword!  
Where is it!?"  
  
Interpreting her signals, he set her on her feet and held up  
the weapon. "Right here." His brow crinkled in confusion, but his eyes  
showed surprise when she grasped the handle and the blade flared up  
again.  
  
Genma's expression changed to shock as her seemingly attitude  
changed, right in front of him. Before she seemed weak and somewhat  
scared, but now, she looked strong, determined, and ready to fight.  
  
She pushed passed her husband, sword up and blazing, ready to  
do battle once more.  
  
  
  
  
  
Hikaru wasn't through yet either, the mostly-frozen form of  
Ariko was still in danger. "Flare Bit!" Dozens of small orange balls  
appeared in between his outstretched hands and shot towards the dragon,  
bombarding him with the fiery assault.  
  
His larger opponent backpedaled under the onslaught, his arms  
flailing, his roar of surprise and pain loud. The clawed fist containing  
his hostage suddenly opened, and Lady Kuno went flying through the air  
with a shriek.  
  
Tatewaki watched in horror as his mother sailed through the  
air. He was unable to do anything to help her, being too far away to  
catch her. Still, he sprinted across the battlefield towards the pile of  
rubble he had calculated as her landing point. The impulse was still  
pounding through his veins, the siren song of the sword calling for him  
to ignore the woman and return to fighting the dark abomination. But for  
the first time, he fought against it, his will overturning the one  
streaming from his weapon.  
  
He didn't make it in time.  
  
Lady Kuno's body hit the piled of ruined cement blocks and iron  
piping, making a sick crunching sound as it partly swallowed her. With  
tears stinging his eyes, the young swordsman leapt to where his mother  
lay, half-buried in her concrete bed, dropping his blade upon the  
ground. Her eyes were unfocused, yet they seemed to pierce his soul as  
she turned her gaze upon him. The muted warrior's part of his mind noted  
that there seemed to be too much blood dampening her torn and tattered  
kimono, turning the blue material a sickly, dark brown.  
  
"Mother..." he gasped, the tightness in his throat barely able  
to lend him speech capability at all.  
  
"I'm... sorry, Tatchi," she replied, her voice barely above a  
whisper. "It appears... my time has... come."  
  
"NO!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Hikaru Gosunkugi, mage-wannabe for most of his life, was  
finally tapping the forces he had long sought after as he drove the  
dragon back. But he was too caught up his command of the literal fire  
power he wielded, to realize what it was doing inside him. He was being  
changed, his body beginning to crave the high the magic gave.  
  
"Val-Flare!" He finished by launching one of his strongest  
blasts, that sent Drakon to the ground in a fiery explosion. He then  
turned and layed his hands on the frozen girl, warmth spreading from his  
palms and enveloping her.  
  
Ariko's eyes opened and met his as the last of the ice melted  
away. Her lips twisted into a small smile and her gaze softened, as if  
to tell him, "I knew you could do it." Despite himself, Hikaru couldn't  
help blushing a little, his guard dropping.  
  
The moment was short-lived, and Ariko's eyes widened in horror  
and shock as she beheld the dragon rear up behind the young boy. She  
tried to scream, to say anything, but her vocal cords were still a  
little numb from the ice. Still, he noticed her expression change, but  
was too slow to prevent the scaled claw from grabbing him and squeezing,  
the other hand batting the girl and sending her tumbling across the  
embattled courtyard.  
  
Being physically weak, Hikaru's struggles came to naught, and  
only succeeded in furthering his trip to unconsciousness.  
  
Drakon then turned to a certain pile of rubble where a woman  
lay half-buried and a young man knelt over her, intent on finishing off  
his originial target.  
  
  
  
  
  
Lady Kuno was suddenly suddenly aware of Drakon's attention on  
them, and she weakly reached up and tried to push her son away, even as  
he tried to free her body from the rubble. "You must... go, Tatchi."  
  
"No, I just have to get you to a hospital and you'll be fine!"  
His voice was near-hysterical, his vision blurring from . "Then you can  
make father well and we can be a family again! That is all Kodachi and I  
really wanted: To be part of a real family! You cannot take that away  
from us again! YOU CAN'T!" The last was belted out as a fevered demand.  
  
Touched by her son's needs and desires, the woman who was his  
mother and yet was not, found tears drawn to her own eyes. But she was  
out of time. Behind her son, the dark dragon was opening its mouth, and  
her mystic sight could detect the energies gathering for the attack.  
  
"I wanted... to see you and `Dachi grow up. Forgive me."  
  
He stopped his frantic excavation and met her tearful gaze with  
his own. She placed her hands on his chest and the next thing Tatewaki  
Kuno knew, an invisible force had tossed several meters away. His head  
came up just in time to see a large, dark blue beam of energy crash into  
the pile where he had been kneeling a moment before. The debris exploded  
in a shower of icicle shards.  
  
His anquished cry echoed throughout the battlefield. "MOTHER!"  
  
  
  
  
  
"Let him go!" the young girl screamed, finally regaining the use  
of her voice.  
  
Her eyes began to glow even as a violent tempest whipped around  
her small form. The winds tornado'ed upwards from her feet while the  
white ribbon tied around her ponytail, unwound and fell off. The net  
effect was that her mid-back length, brown locks shot upwards, held  
there by the gathered forces swirling around her.  
  
Drakon froze in outrage as he witnessed and felt the sheer  
magical energy the young girl was channeling. In his left hand, Hikaru's  
limp form stirred slightly. His head lifted a bit as his left eye  
cracked open, sensing the power building around her, and it both scared  
and awed him at the same time.  
  
She reiterated her command in a more forceful tone. "LET...  
HIM... GO!"  
  
The dark dragon snarled and tightened his grip on his hostage.  
"I think not." He spoke for the first time, his voice deep and throaty,  
and sounding somehow... unnatural as it reverberated throughout the  
courtyard.  
  
Ariko didn't bother with a response, but let the magical  
energies she had been gathering whip up harder around her, even as a  
white glow began to outline her form. She thrust her hands forward and  
there was a mighty flash of brilliant white.  
  
The scaled claw holding the limp boy was suddenly forced open,  
against the will of the owner. Hikaru fell listlessly for several feet,  
then stopped in mid-air as Ariko psycho-kinetically caught him and  
levitated his body to rest at her feet. She then turned her vengeful,  
glowing eyes on her enemy.  
  
  
  
  
The katana of Nodoka Saotome blazed in the darkening skies, as  
her fighting instincts drove her forward. Genma stuck close to her,  
knowing he couldn't stop her while she had the sword, but still wanting  
to protect her. Soun had limped off the field, having realized there was  
no longer anything he could do to help.  
  
  
  
Tatewaki Kuno slowly regained his feet, then plucked his  
discarded katana from the ground, brilliant blue bolts of electricity  
crackling along the blade. He had nothing left to say, since there was  
nothing to say. Only one imperitive was on his mind: the destruction of  
the beast that had just taken his mother from him.  
  
  
  
Together, these four were poised to confront Drakon for the  
final time.  
  
  
  
Seeing them approach and wanting to seize the initiative, the  
dark dragon dropped to all fours and took to the air as they approached,  
spraying the area with a wide burst of freezing breath.  
  
Nodoka's katana flared brightly as a gout of flame leapt up to  
absorb the attack, sheltering the others. Ariko's fist shot forward, and  
an invisible force struck the dragon from the air, sending it crashing  
into the ground. Immediately afterward, Kuno sprinted forward, his  
katana discharging a long stream of lightning that covered the beast in  
a blanket of electricity.  
  
Drakon thought as he shakily regained his  
feet. He had been fighting for too long and his bodily reserves were  
beginning to wear out. If he was in his human form he knew he'd be far  
from tired, but apparently this dragon form took more out of him.   
  
So decided, he turned and took to the air once more... only to  
come crashing back down as an unknown force grabbed his ankles and  
slammed him back into the ground. He turned his head just in time to see  
the martial artist with the large build hit him with several vacuum  
blades that actually managed to rend his scales and open up gashes in  
his flesh.  
  
"Individually, we are unable to do much to it," Kuno shouted,  
loosing another lightning bolt. "T'would be best if combined our  
powers."  
  
"I am with you, Kuno-san," Nodoka offered, Genma nodding beside  
her.  
  
"Me, too!" Hikaru added, shakily rising to his feet. Somehow, in  
the presence of the courage of those around him, his initial fear had  
faded. He had seen what the beast had offered, and born witness to these  
men and women who refused to give up. Some of that was rubbing off on  
him.  
  
Drakon had other ideas, striking with another ice blast that  
Nodoka incinerated. But under the cover of the thick steam that  
resulted, he lanced out with his tail, sweeping his opponents off their  
feet and then leaping in the the air once more.  
  
"The vile beast doth flee from my rightful vengeance!" Tatewaki  
yelled.  
  
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ariko screamed, her  
white aura intensifying. She lanced out with both hands and clenched her  
fists, and Drakon suddenly found himself halted in mid-air. "NOW!"  
  
They struck as one, Kuno's lightning flaying the dragon, while  
Nodoka bathed it in fire. Genma launched wave after wave of vacuum  
blades, the only attack he had that seemed to work on the beast. Hikaru  
raised his hands, sweating as he tried to channel every ounce of magical  
power he could. A ball of deep crimson red mass of magical energy formed  
in front of him.  
  
"Vice Flare!" The ball lanced into a beam that rocketed upwards,  
the retro-force knocking the young boy onto his rear. But his aim was  
true, the attack impacting the ebony dragon perfectly. The resulting  
explosion flared so brightly, all were forced to shield their eyes from  
the the miniature sun.  
  
But when the the nova finally died, Drakon was nowhere in  
sight.  
  
Hikaru was awed by the sheer power of the attack, becoming  
light-headed when he realized he had been part of that.   
Then he turned to look at Ariko, and his heart dropped into his stomach,  
his giddyness extinguished. She was laying on ground, unmoving. He  
rushed to her side and turned her over onto her back, somewhat relieved  
to see her still breathing, if a bit shallow.  
  
Then he noticed her hair had turned completely white.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Her breathing was slow, but it was steady. She would live, and  
the thought lifted Ranma's heart and eased his burden.  
  
As the campfire blazed, he watched her sleep from where he sat  
beside her, knowing he should get some rest as well. It would be night  
soon and they had quite a bit of travel to do tomorrow to get back home.  
  
Every once and awhile, she would moan, toss and turn, as if she  
was having some sort of bad dream. In response, he would brush her  
cheek, whisper that he was here and that everything was alright, and she  
would settle back down.  
  
Of course, he'd never have the guts to do this sort of inane  
thing while she was awake...  
  
It was funny, he decided. A year ago he'd never thought he'd be  
acting like this now; that one girl could come to mean so much to him.  
The memories of all they had been through together floated through his  
mind; some happy, some sad, yet he knew that if it was the only way he  
could be with her, he'd do it all over again. Nothing else mattered.  
  
A strange feeling passed through him as he watched her. He had  
always been hesitant to get married, even after realizing that he loved  
her. After all, he didn't know the first thing about being a husband,  
seeing as how his only example was his own father and Tendo-san. He had  
watched the interaction between his parents, and it didn't take a genius  
to see they didn't get along too well.  
  
What kind of husband would he be? Would he be able to take care  
of her? Could he provide for her like a good husband should? Or would he  
screw up and lose her forever?  
  
Looking at her peacefully sleeping face, he suddenly realized  
he wanted to find out. He was still scared at the prospect of failing,  
but if he didn't try, he knew he'd regret it. He decided to look at like  
a personal challenge; a challenge he intended to win.  
  
After all, Ranma Saotome Doesn't Lose.  
  
He half-smiled at his iinazuke. "Hey Akane, wanna get married  
when we get back?" Naturally, he didn't expect an answer from the  
sleeping girl.  
  
"You really mean that?"  
  
Ranma blinked, startled at the unexpected response. Akane  
rolled over on her side to look at him, her big brown eyes wavering with  
reflected firelight.There was a pause as they gazed at each other, then  
Ranma realized she was waiting for an answer. A year ago, shoot, even a  
few months ago he would have balked at the commitment marriage entailed.  
  
But that was then.  
  
He nodded slightly, his face reddening. "I-I mean, if ya don't  
mind, I don't mind. Ya know, before somethin' else happens and... well,  
you know." His mind slowly realized he was starting to babble, and it  
berated him for how much of an idiot he was beginning to sound like.  
Fortunately, Akane came to the same conclusion and put a pair of fingers  
of his mouth to quiet him.  
  
"You asked me several months ago, and my answer still stands,"  
she replied with a smile made him catch his breath, especially with the  
fire dancing in her eyes, and not from the campfire. She nearly giggled  
at his stupified expression.  
  
"Akane..."  
  
She brought up her ring hand, the one with the small inlaid gem  
in a ying-yang symbol. "In case you're too dense to figure it out, I  
said yes then, and I still mean it."  
  
"Hey!" he protested, but he lost the apprehension.  
  
She patted the space next to her. "Now get down here, silly. We  
both need plenty of rest and I need a pillow." Her tone took on a tone  
of mock severity. "But no perverted stuff!"  
  
Ranma's mouth quirked, once, then he slowly laid down on his  
back next to her. She snuggled up to his side, laying her head on his  
shoulder. For several minutes, the only sounds were of the fire  
crackling, the crickets singing, and the sounds of two people breathing.  
Occasionaly, the hoot of an owl echoed in the distance.  
  
"I love you, Ranma Saotome," Akane said softly, marveling at how  
easy that phrase was to say compared to a year ago. "You know that?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Pause.  
  
*Thump!* "And!?"  
  
"Ow, jeez." Ranma rubbed his chest, grinning. "I love you, too,  
Akane Tendo."  
  
Satisfied and contented, Akane drifted off to a peaceful sleep,  
Ranma following shortly thereafter.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The black-robed individual parted the low-hanging tree branches  
and bushes, and stepped into the clearing. It wasn't a clearing a few  
moments ago, but a vibrant, verdant part of the forest, until an object  
fell out of the sky and crashed into it.  
  
He was immediately assaulted by a strong, acrid, burnt meat  
smell, and he delighted in the aroma as he surveyed the damage. After  
gaining a good look at it, he stepped up to the head, amused to find it  
still alive.  
  
Darmondo tsked. "Ah, Drakon. You played your part well. Pity  
that your loyalty blinds your intelligence."  
  
The bloody and charred dragon opened it's one good eye  
slightly, smoke still wafting from its body. "You... how did... you  
know..."  
  
"That this would happen?" Drakon could sense the smirk from  
under the wizard's robed hood. "I didn't, not really. Oh I knew you had  
a good chance of killing the Lady in Blue, but I had pawns in place to  
make sure you wouldn't survive to make it back. Speaking of which, how  
are my two-little magic users? They make great apprentices!"  
  
The creature that was once Drakon, coughed up clouds of steam.  
"Why?"  
  
"You should know the answer to that," he replied, darkly.  
"You're not that stupid. When our true lord and master returns, I will  
finally attain the knowledge and power I seek. The wisdom of the ages,  
the knowledge of the ancients, and the secrets of the universe will all  
be mine to unlock."  
  
"So lives... mean nothing... to you?" The weariness is his voice  
was evident, as was the contempt.  
  
"The only thing that matters to me is that I get what I want!"  
Darmondo snarled. "These pitiful human lives mean nothing! They scurry  
and scamper about, never realizing their potential, happy to lead their  
insignificant existences, and blissfully ignorant of the true powers  
around them! I do not care one way or the other if they get squashed  
along the way. If I can use them, then they should consider it an honor.  
Like my two mages."  
  
The dark sorcerer stepped back and shook his head. "But enough  
of this. You were a threat, so I had you eliminated, and in such a way  
that will not point to me. Two more must die before my dreams can be  
realized, but any more that get in my way will end up the same."  
  
He turned his back to the dying dragon and began to walk out of  
the clearing. Just before he re-entered the forest however, he stopped  
and help up his left palm. "Do not think I'm completely without mercy,"  
he said, and Drakon's eye widened as a ball of black light formed in the  
wizard's hand, contained by a faint purple hue. With an almost casual  
attitude, he tossed it back at the dragon.  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
There was a flash of an ebony explosion, and when it was over,  
the clearing was empty.  
  
  
  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
Author's notes:  
  
No, I'm NOT doing a crossover with Slayers. I'm only using the spells  
because many people who like Ranma 1/2 also like Slayers, and are  
familiar with the magic used. So this will hopefully give you readers a  
nice visualization of the spells's effects. There will be NO Dragon  
Slave, Giga slave, Rah Tilt, or Ragna Blade, etc.. No mazoku in this  
world to draw power from. The only magic they can draw from is the  
elements.  
  
Now, finally, this arc is out of the way! And the last chapter is twice  
as big as my previous chapters! I didn't plan it this way, it just sort  
of ended up like that.  
  
Kodachi is back, for all you Kodachi fans, so expect to see more of her  
in the story from now on. Ryu showed up, though he left at the end and I  
don't know when you might see him again. I still haven't decided if  
Natsume and Kurumi will stick around, you'll just have to see. Zhao Len  
is back and she's got control of Kenji, or at least the body that was  
Kenji's.  
  
And one more favorite cursed character will finally appear in the next  
arc.  
  
At lastly, Konatsu and Yuri. All of the fics I read, Konatsu either gets  
shafted, or somehow hooks up with Ukyo (or Akari, though what's the deal  
with that!?!?). 90% of the time he gets shafted. I like ALL of the  
characters, because that's what makes Ranma 1/2 entertaining, and I'm a  
softie at heart, so I try to give fair treatment to all of them.  
  
So, I gave him somebody, I'll admit it, I created a character for him to  
love. For those of you who think his conversion from Ukyo to Yuri was  
too fast, remember that he fell in love with Ukyo just because she was  
nice to him. What do you think would happen if a girl kissed him?  
  
So, who passed and who failed? Well, I'll mostly leave that up to you to  
decide, but I'll say that Ranma and Akane's trials are definitely not  
over.  
  
What's next? Well, the next volume is `Bonds and Connections'. It will  
deal with the next wedding attempt of Ranma and Akane. Will this one  
succeed? Will it go off without a hitch? Stay tuned and find out!!!!  
  
It will also focus and expand on the myriad character relationships that  
have sprung up, both in the manga and my fic, as wel as shed much light  
into what's happening, why, and tie together many loose ends. To all  
that have read this far, many of your questions will be answered by that  
volume's end.  
  
Thanks to everyone who helped me with this.... which is not a whole lot,  
to tell the truth. I get a few e-mails from people who tell me they want  
to see more, so I guess a few folks out there like it. But nobody has  
much, if any, comments or suggestions, so I'm going on the assumption my  
work is perfect!  
  
I will thank MWhaleK, who provided me with an invaluable list of  
techniques in Japanese. Thank you!!!!!!!  
  
If you disagree, tell me!  
oddball22@hotmail.com  
  
Another work by Brad the Kaiphantom (because every writer needs a cool  
handle)  
www.geocities.com/kaiphantom2000 


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